San Benito ousted in quarterfinals
Mountain View – In the end, the privilege was in getting there for the San Benito High girls water polo team.
Playing in the Central Coast Section quarterfinals for the first time, the ‘Balers didn’t have the firepower to keep up with top-seeded St. Francis and their season ended with a 16-6 loss in the Lancers’ home pool.
“We gave them a run for their money,” San Benito coach Lacey Sutton said. “It wasn’t a bad game at all.”
There was little disappointment in the eyes of the ‘Balers, who became the first girls water polo team in school history to win a CCS game when they beat Presentation 11-10 on Wednesday.
“We were all just very happy and excited to play here,” senior Jayme Telles said. “We achieved a big goal by getting to the second round.”
San Benito trailed 5-1 at the end of the first quarter and St. Francis pushed the lead to 9-1 late into the second.
The ‘Balers’ Katie Buzzetta trimmed the deficit with a goal on a 5-meter penalty shot and a goal just before the halftime buzzer by Jarae Tanner made it 10-3 at halftime.
Buzzetta added another goal in the first minute of the third quarter, but the Lancers scored five straight times to take a 15-4 lead into the final period.
Telles and Tanner each found the back of the cage in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough for the ‘Balers to catch St. Francis.
While the loss ends the season, the team was reflective of the positives that occurred during the most successful girls water polo season in school history.
“We had a really successful season,” Sutton said. “We won two tournaments and made a lot of history.”
The team’s positive attitude was evident throughout the game as the it appeared loose and to be having fun.
“We all had a lot of fun,” Telles said. “We definitely played hard. It was a good effort by our team.”
