Walton nets hat trick to lead Mustang water polo team to 7-5
victory over Carmel in first round of T-CALs
GILROY – Junior Travis Gamble could tell right away – Carmel was not the same team that his Mustangs dominated in an 18-8 regular-season victory.
It became even more apparent when the No. 5 seeded Padres jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Wednesday’s opening round of the Tri-County Athletic League Boys Water Polo Finals.
“They got a lot better than the last time. They really improved,” said Gamble, who added the clincher in Gilroy’s tightly-contest 7-5 comeback win over Carmel. “Right off the bat you could tell they were a better team.”
But the No. 4 seeded Mustangs relied on their tough defense to keep them close and then turned it on in the second half. Junior Santiago Maciel knotted the score at 4-4 early in the third quarter – benefiting from a steal and feed via junior teammate Lee Walton (3 G, 2 A). Then Gamble’s close-range blast with 24 ticks left in the quarter gave the Mustangs their first lead of the game.
“We were lucky to win the game. We had opportunities. The score could have been a lot different,” head coach Tom Clark said. “I knew that they were a better team from what I’d seen in tournaments. I told the guys you can’t take them lightly.”
In the fourth quarter, the Padres tied the game back up at 5-5 with 3:27 remaining – threatening for the upset of Gilroy. But Maciel (1 G, 2 A) quickly generated a scoring opportunity with a defensive steal. The CCS-qualifying swimmer then drove up the middle of the pool and fed Walton on the right side. Walton used a sweet pump fake to get the Carmel goalie up in the air and then placed a soft shot over his head to give his squad a 6-5 edge.
Gamble (2 G) followed up Walton’s effort with his second goal of the night off a creative behind-the-head pass from Maciel. Carmel could not find the back of the net again as the final 49 seconds ran out.
“He did it on both ends,” said Clark of Gamble. “We moved him into the hole the last three minutes.”
The last two quarters were played under the lights at Gilroy High as the cold temperatures began to creep in. Hollister played in the early game – beating Monterey to set up Friday’s second-round match-up against the Mustangs at Live Oak High School at 3:30 p.m.
“It was great playing under the lights. When I first got in (it was cold), but with all the swimming you don’t notice it at all,” said Gamble, who then looked ahead to the Haybalers. “I think we just have to play our hardest and we can come out on top. Last time they killed us, but I think that was first-game jitters.”
The Mustangs lost to Hollister on the road to start their T-CAL schedule – but, much like Carmel did, they have gotten stronger as the season wore on.
“Hollister played very good. It’s going to take a much better effort to beat Hollister,” said Clark, who watched the Haybalers beat Monterey before Gilroy’s victory. “Transition-wise, they are really quick. We need to focus better and not make mistakes.”
This year’s Gilroy boys water polo team has amassed a 13-9 overall record – which is the best season the program has had in four years.
