San Benito head coach Hayley Vandercook admits at some point the San Benito girls water polo team will need more offense from girls not named Caitlin Schafer and Rachel Estep. But that day was not Tuesday.
In Tuesday’s 17-10 win over Monterey Bay League opponent Salinas, Schafer and Estep contributed all 17 goals, as the Balers rolled to their fifth league win of the year, improving their league record to 5-2.
Despite the easy win, though, Vandercook wasn’t happy with the way the team played, she said.
“Well, they (Salinas) are really down this year and we played down to them,” Vandercook said. “I thought we played really bad. I’m not happy about the way we played. They shouldn’t have scored anything let alone 10.”
With the play of Schafer and Estep, the Balers were able to overcome their defensive problems, which included three goals scored by Salinas at mid-pool. On the offensive end, though, other Balers struggled to find shots with the physical Cowboys.
“They just played to Salinas,” Vandercook said. “They are just down this year and we were playing down to their level. They were making sloppy passes because they figured they could get away with it. They can’t play down to other team’s levels.”
Estep, who finished with four goals, agreed with her coach’s assessment.
“This game is definitely an eye opener,” she said. “I had a terrible game passing today. It’s just we really need to make good decision because Soquel is not like Salinas. They are really tough.”
Despite those struggles, though, Estep created a strong connection with Schafer, who finished with a game-high 13 goals. Estep fed Schafer throughout the game, finishing with six assists.
“Caitlin and I are really trying to work together,” Estep said. “We are the two people on the team that can make those rainbow passes that can get high enough and make that shot right off the two. We’ve worked out plays between the both of us.”
It worked Tuesday, as Salinas couldn’t slow them down even when multiple girls defended the pair.
“Everybody else needs to step it up because they (Estep, Schafer) are going to be double teamed,” Vandercook said. “I expect it. But they will get goals even when they are doubled teamed. Obviously, we work on a lot of it in practice but when we play a team that doesn’t double team, it makes it easier for them.”
It was easy against Salinas.
A little more than 30 seconds into the game, San Benito struck first thanks to the play of Schafer. After gaining control of the ball at the beginning, Schafer tossed the ball to Estep, who waited and passed back to Schafer as she was crashing to the cage. The two teams traded goals in each team’s first two possession.
Eventually, strong defense by Schafer and Heather Smith allowed San Benito to being to pull away. Through a pair of Smith steals, San Benito extended its lead to 5-2 after the first quarter.
The Balers’ first eight goals were scored by Schafer, who was a dominant force on both ends of the pool.
“She is in phenomenal,” Estep said of her teammate. “We are so lucky to have her on our team. I know that playing with people that are better than you makes you better.”
Estep got on the board late in the second quarter, giving the Balers a 10-5 lead at the half with two goals.
Salinas pulled a little closer in the third quarter, limiting San Benito to only goal, but the Balers took over in the final seven minutes.
Schafer and Estep combined for six fourth-quarter goals to earn the victory.
The Balers play Soquel at 6 p.m. Thursday in Santa Cruz.
