Rossi nets seven goals, but Gilroy High girls polo team falls
14-13 against Monterey
GILROY – The Lady Mustang water polo team was in the pool much longer than the allotted four quarters of regulation as visiting Monterey battled back from a four-goal deficit to send Wednesday’s game into overtime.
After two three-minute halves, the tie score was upped from 12-12 to 13-13 to force a sudden death. Gilroy struck in the first extra session with Lindsay Been finding the back of the net with seven ticks left. But the Lady Toreadors evened things with 1:12 remaining in the second overtime period.
In the final three minutes, the Lady Mustangs were snubbed right at the buzzer as Monterey’s Kara Potter scored the game-winner for a 14-13 decision.
“It was an amazing game. It was a great time,” Gilroy head coach Andy Been said. “The kids played their hearts out.”
Senior Lauryn Rossi led the Lady Mustang attack with a team-high seven goals, while netminder Laura Rink stopped 18 shots – including five in the three overtime sessions. Been and teammate Kim Spaulding added two goals a piece, while both Lindsey Beckle and Azalia Quesada each scored one goal for Gilroy.
Despite their valiant effort, the Lady Mustangs fell to 2-5 on the season, heading into the Watsonville Tournament over the weekend and then an Oct. 1 home match against Carmel.
Neither team could gain much of an advantage through regulation – exchanging goals from the onset. Gilroy held a one-goal lead at the half and came out firing in the third quarter – netting four of the first five goals for an 11-7 lead. But Monterey cut the gap to two going into the fourth frame.
In the last quarter of regulation, Gilroy struggled with its offense and the Lady Toreadors took advantage – tying the score at 12-12 with three minutes remaining. Both units had ample opportunities to capture the lead – but the defenses held strong.
Monterey then went on to outscore Gilroy, 2-1, in overtime to steal the victory from the host team.
