It’s no secret that the young Gilroy boys’ water polo team has
had its share of knocks this season.
Gilroy – It’s no secret that the young Gilroy boys’ water polo team has had its share of knocks this season.
The Mustangs suffered one more setback in a 13-7 loss to visiting Watsonville (7-7, 4-2 TCAL) Tuesday.
Without senior starter Austin Gubrud, suspended for one game, Gilroy (5-6, 2-5 TCAL) never could get into much of an offensive rhythm. Passes weren’t as crisp as they have been and the ball movement wasn’t where it normally is for GHS.
“He is like a quarterback out there,” said Mustang coach Tom Clark. “We didn’t have the communication. We were playing jungle ball.”
Gilroy fell behind 2-0 in the first minute of the game before even getting a shot. Watsonville senior Kent Detrick scored on a 5-meter shot, and then stole the ball on the Mustangs’ next possession. Detrick scored a season-high 10 goals.
“We played a little better than we played against Carmel,” said junior Daniel Shields, who led the Mustangs with four goals. “We still need to work on our passing and transitions.”
Shields scored the only Gilroy goal in the first half on an over pass in front of the net. The Mustangs were down 8-1 at the half.
GHS picked up the intensity in the second half to score six goals. The other goals were scored by Nick Campelli, Cody Diefendorfer and Kyle Nettleblad, who also had the unenviable task of guarding Detrick in the hole.
Several times when the Mustangs scored, Watsonville would answer right back on its next possession. The Wildcatz scored a goal just three seconds after the Gilroy’s first goal in the first quarter.
Mustang goalie Ethan Fortuna made a 5-meter save on Detrick in the second quarter, but Watsonville scored on it next possession.
The Mustangs had some opportunities to score but couldn’t convert. Kenny Kretz and Shields had breakaways in the third, but the shots were hauled in by the Wildcatz goalie.
