After a rough start to the year for the girls water polo team,
the Balers pummeled Gilroy by running away with a 16-5 victory –
their first of the young season.
The win completed a San Benito sweep Tuesday, as the boys beat
the Mustangs 15-5 in an earlier matchup – pushing the boys team to
a 4-0 overall record to begin the season.
After a rough start to the year for the girls water polo team, the Balers pummeled Gilroy by running away with a 16-5 victory – their first of the young season.
The win completed a San Benito sweep Tuesday, as the boys beat the Mustangs 15-5 in an earlier matchup – pushing the boys team to a 4-0 overall record to begin the season.
But it was Caitlin Schafer that stole the show in the first minute of the girls game.
After beating Gilroy down the pool to gain the first possession of the ball, Schafer swam passed the defenders and fired the ball into the net – only 15 seconds into the game.
But the fast start didn’t end there for San Benito. Seconds later, Schafer stepped in front of a pass up the pool to gain a breakaway toward the goal. Faking a hard shot, Schafer lofted the ball over Gilroy goalie Alexia Cussier’s head to extend the Baler lead.
Schafer still wasn’t finished for San Benito. A little more than 20 seconds later, Schafer again stole a long pass and pushed up the pool. Outpacing everyone, Schafer scored again to give the Balers a 3-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
“She was great,” head coach Hayley Vandercook said. “It’s always great to get off to a fast start, especially against Gilroy.”
Schafer would tally five more goals during the game to score eight – outscoring Gilroy 8-5.
“I wanted to play just a little more aggressive today,” Schafer said. “The last few games I wasn’t able to get my shots so I played a little more aggressive.”
And that quick start helped settle the nerves of the team, she said.
“I think it helped a lot,” Schafer said. “We are young so we are only gong to get better with each game.”
The Balers also had contributions from Rachel Estep, who played goalie in the Balers’ first two games, and Hannah Smith. Estep scored four goals, and assisted on a majority of Schafer’s goals.
Smith, who played on the edge of the Balers’ set plays, fired shots from the side throughout the game – scoring three.
But it was the Balers aggressive defense that truly contributed to the win.
The defense pressured Gilroy starters Michelle Shields and Corin Keller throughout the game – forcing bad passes and rushed shots.
Keller and Shields scored two goals each for Gilroy – but they were the only bright spots for the young Mustangs.
“We lost a lot of girls from last year but so did they,” Vandercook said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect from the game until that first minute. After that I knew we would be okay.”
The Balers host Santa Cruz on Thursday.
Boys water polo
It took nearly two minutes for Carlos Huerta to power a shot pass Gilroy goalie Cody Froom, but once the flood gates opened for San Benito there was nothing the Mustangs could do to stop it.
Powered by the strength and crafty shooting of Huerta, who scored a team-high four goals, the Balers ran away from Gilroy in a 15-5 win.
Eight different Balers scored during the game, as the Balers emptied their bench in the second half.
‘We wanted to be good sports – there was no need to run up the score,” head coach Aaron Gautney said. “In the fourth (quarter) we just decided to work on our passing and let everyone play. It was almost harder not to score.”
In the first three quarters it didn’t look like much work needed to be done for the Balers, who pushed the tempo both defensively and offensively.
On offense, the Balers were able to run set plays with quick passes and right body angles. After a couple of passes on the edge, the Balers found open shots in the middle of the pool.
“They did a good job passing around the ball,” Gautney said. “It’s good to see them using what we practice in a game situation.”
Because of that, so many Balers contributed to the score sheet. Tim Valenzuela scored three goals, and Jacob Garcia and Adrian Martinez scored two a piece. Jordan Dain, Nick Kemppainen, Tyler Hatchett and Bryan Alcorn all score once.
Despite the loss, Michael Shields shined for Gilroy. Shields scored four of Gilroy’s five goals and assisted on the fifth.
But it was too little compared to the San Benito attack.
“We just worked together as a group,” Huerta said after the Baler win. “We took what we learned in practice and used it on the playing field.”
The Balers host Watsonville on Thursday.
Below is this week’s edition of The San Benito Score:
