The Malibu High School varsity girls water polo team continued its dominance in the Tri-Valley League on Friday with a 13-4 win over the Oaks Christian Lions. The Sharks, who have won the Tri-Valley League for three straight seasons, are undefeated in league play this year, with a 3-0 record.
In the game against the Lions, the Sharks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and never looked back. By the end of the first half, the Sharks still led the game at 7-0. Seniors Sophie Galate and Erika Wooler dictated the Sharks’ strong offensive attack, while senior goalie Jojo White skillfully stopped any goals against the team. The Sharks’ early lead gave them the opportunity to rest a number of their starters during the second half and thus let many of the younger players earn valuable experience against a varsity squad. Overall, Sharks Head Coach Tim Segesman was pleased with his team’s performance against Malibu High School’s biggest rival.
“They played well, you saw a lot of good things today,” Segesman said. “It’s hard when the other team is at a level below us, but what I saw is that they ran the plays that they needed to run, they executed their counterattacks, they executed their six on fives, that’s what we’ve been telling them to do.”
Although they are often playing teams that are not as strong as they are, Segesman and the rest of the coaching staff have made it a priority to keep the Sharks focused. For example, the girls had a two-hour practice before the game against Oaks Christian on Friday.
“We just talk to them and get them motivated, and just say that these are games to work on fundamentals and practice the things that we need to work on,” Segesman said.
The Sharks participated in the Arroyo Grande Tournament the weekend of Jan. 7, where they faced off against many schools in higher divisions, as well as a couple of teams they will likely encounter in CIF.
“At our last tournament in Arroyo we saw a lot of teams that we could potentially see in CIF,” Galate said. “It gave us a good feel for exactly what we need to work on to be prepared when that time comes.”
This week, the girls will travel to Coronado to participate in another large tournament.