APTOS — The addition of an Open Division in this year’s Central Coast Section water polo playoffs was expected to create more competitive postseason matches for all teams involved.
So far, so good.
No. 6 Aptos High and No. 3 Menlo were about as even as possible through three quarters of their CCS Division II quarterfinal match, heading into the fourth in a 4-4 tie. But the Knights made more plays down the stretch to eliminate the Mariners in a 7-5 victory on Saturday in Aptos.
“Tie game heading into the fourth is never a good feeling,” said Menlo head coach Alana Burgess. “I think that they realized that if they didn’t step it up now their season was over.”
Menlo (14-12) certainly hit another gear in the final stanza.
Annie Bisconti scored three times in three minutes and the Knights’ made several defensive stands as the seconds ticked away on Aptos’ (18-7) impressive season.
Second-place finishers in the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division, the Mariners finished just a couple of wins shy of the program’s record for wins in a single-season despite playing most of the year with just 10 players on the roster.
Head coach Mark Knapp added four players to the roster for the postseason but stuck to his guns for the majority of Saturday’s match.
“We’re short players, I don’t want to make an excuse there but you could see them tiring at the end and it kind of was the difference in the game,” Knapp said. “But hats off to Menlo. I hope they have a great rest of the tournament.”
It was the second consecutive season the two teams met in the CCS playoffs. Menlo also won last year’s match, 9-6, before losing to St. Ignatius in the quarterfinals.
The arrival of the Open Division, which removed section powerhouses like Soquel High and Sacred Heart Prep from the equation, had both squads hopeful of their chances at capturing the D-II championship, which would be Menlo’s first since 2006 and Aptos’ first-ever.
Menlo’s hopes are still very much alive. The Knights will play No. 2 Sobrato High, a 14-5 winner over Gilroy High, on a date, time and location still to be determined.
Aptos, however, will have to wait until next season to chase its first CCS title.
“We fought really hard to get to this point and I think we’re really happy that we got a close game at the end,” said Aptos junior Kristen Malone. “It was a bummer that we didn’t get to move on but we really fought hard and I think we’re all proud of that.”
Malone scored twice and fellow junior Jordan Wagner also scored a pair of goals. Junior Kelly Taylor found the back of the net in the fourth quarter. Her score with 1:40 left to play gave the Mariners a chance but the Knights played near perfect defense the rest of the way to halt the comeback effort.
“It was just a matter of who made the last mistake and I think we unfortunately were up in that category,” Knapp said. “We made a couple of mistakes on our defensive assignments and that’s what allowed them to score. But they have to make the shot. We had our opportunities and they sailed wide or up. They capitalized and we just didn’t.”
The two were locked in a defensive battle through the first two quarters.
Bisconti scored the game’s first goal in the second frame and Sarah Donato made it 2-0 by dribbling through a goal on a penalty shot.
But Wagner sliced the deficit in half heading into the break with her first goal of the afternoon.
Menlo went up two with 3:29 left in the third quarter but Aptos clawed its way back in with a pair of goals in the span of 16 seconds.
Each team scored once more before the start of the fourth but the Menlo pulled rank, putting the match away with a trio of quick scores and stout defense.
Despite the loss, the Mariners were chipper about their season as whole given the challenges they faced throughout the year.
“At the beginning of the season we were a little worried because we didn’t have all that many girls come out and a lot of people were injured various times throughout the season,” Malone said. “Even though we had small numbers, we all fought really hard and we earned our trip here. Each one of us fought hard. Everyone was included in it. It was a team effort.”
Aptos will graduate five seniors, including its leading scorer Skylar Poulos and goaltender Kaylee Pryor.
The Mariners will, however, return eight players next season.
