holds head high despite loss
By Sam Rubinroit / Special to The Malibu Times
The Malibu High girls’ water polo team lost in the CIF division VI finals on Saturday to the Bonita Bearcats. This is the first girls’ water polo team in Malibu High School history to advance to the finals.
The Sharks made it to the finals after an undefeated regular season, clinching the Tri-Valley League Championship and a hard-fought playoff run. After steamrolling Rowland in the first round, 16-6, the Sharks pulled out a narrow victory over Pacifica in the second round, 12-9. With the win over Pacifica, the Sharks became the first girls’ water polo team in school history to advance to the semifinals, where they defeated Chadwick, 10-7.
The finals game against Bonita was a battle, as the normally high-scoring Sharks were held scoreless in the first quarter and gave up a Bearcat goal. Senior Katie Rollins put the Sharks on the board early in the second quarter, tying the game 1-1. However, the Bearcat offense was relentless, scoring two goals and holding the Sharks scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, entering halftime leading 3-1.
Though the Sharks had many opportunities to score, they were unable to get anything past Bonita goalie Megan Pezzolla, who allowed only two goals on 20 shots in the game. With the Malibu offense unable to convert, Bonita capitalized on the frustration the Sharks faced, making a 4-0 run in the third quarter before senior Searra Silverberg answered with the Sharks’ second goal of the game. With just little more than two minutes remaining, the Bearcats squeezed in two more goals before the end of the third quarter, taking a 9-2 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Sharks made a valiant comeback effort, scoring three goals before time ran out, ending with the Bonita victory, 9-5.
“They showed me that they have heart,” Malibu head coach Tim Segesman said of the comeback. “They won’t give up, and they’re going to keep fighting to the end no matter what the score is. It was just too many goals too late. If we had had that in the third quarter, the game would have been different.”
Silverberg finished the game with three goals, and Rollins and junior Gianna Fote contributed one apiece.
Despite the loss, the Sharks still had a historic season. They were the first girls’ water polo team to advance to the semifinals, and came away with second place in CIF division VI.
“We took a team from nothing, most of the girls had never played the game before or had little experience, and led a team to the finals. That’s something that is unheard of, especially in this sport,” Silverberg said.
The finals game was the last for seniors Searra Silverberg, Katie Rollins and Brita Kiefer, leaving a void in the Malibu program. However, with the return next season of juniors Gianna Fote, Jennifer Tartavull, Reilley Lippman and KC Dossett, and sophomores Sophie Galate and goalie Jordan “JoJo” White, coach Segesman is confidant in their chances.
“We have a lot of girls that are young and that are hungry,” Segesman said. “I think [the loss] sets a fire under them to work hard and get back here, and we have a great group coming up. It’s going to be hard to fill some voids, but I think these girls are going to step up and they are all going to have an amazing year next year.”