It was a tale of two squads last week. The undefeated Malibu High boys water polo team lived to fight another day, while the girls tennis team saw its CIF championship aspirations come up short in the semi-finals for the third season in a row.
Water Polo: Two down, two to go
The Malibu boys water polo team began its quest for a first-ever CIF championship in school history with two convincing wins last week. Playing at home in front of an enthusiastic throng of Sharks fans, Malibu defeated
Oxnard, 22-8, and Beaumont, 20-8, to advance to the CIF Division VI semifinals. The Sharks are now an amazing 28-0 on the season.
Malibu was to play La Quinta on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Mount San Antonio College for the right to reach the championship game. La Quinta knocked out MHS a year ago in the same semifinal situation.
“It was a great way to start CIF,” senior Henry Buckley, who finished with six assists, said of last week’s showing. “It will definitely look intimidating to all the other teams. It really shows our strength.”
Malibu broke out to a quick 5-0 lead against the undermanned Yellow Jackets in the game’s first four minutes.
Junior Phil Campanella scored three consecutive goals in less than two minutes to provide the spark and give the Malibu faithful a lot to cheer about.
Campanella credited the team’s focus in practice and, specifically, conditioning as a major reason why Malibu appears to be so strong this late in the season.
“We’ve been swimming a lot. Just been practicing on driving, shooting and working on lots of plays,” Campanella said. “We feel confident that we could go all the way and win CIF. We all believe we can do it.”
Junior Owen Franz scored two of his game-high five goals in the first half as the Sharks took an 11-5 lead into the break.
Franz then scored the first three goals of the second half and senior Jens Cole added two of his four goals in the third period as Malibu took a commanding 19-7 advantage into the fourth period.
“The guys got on a big roll in the third quarter,” Malibu coach Mike Mulligan said. “We made some unbelievable passes and played with patience and found the open guy. We played outstanding.”
After dismantling Oxnard, Malibu welcomed Beaumont into the foreboding waters of the MHS pool for its next playoff match.
Different team, same result.
Malibu walloped the Cougars after bolting out to a 12-3 lead at the half and 19-5 after three periods. Franz continued his masterful play with seven goals and senior goalie Jack Thompson shut down the opposition again with seven blocks.
“We played great. This year every starter on our team can play. It’s a solid team,” Thompson said. “I won’t be really excited until we win it. I can’t let it get to my head.”
“They were on their game today. The chemistry that the kids played with and their anticipation on offense countering was superb,” added Mulligan. “It’s awesome because a lot of these kids haven’t experienced this. It’s a great thing for the whole team. It’s nice to get there again. Hopefully we can maintain our high level of play.”
Should Malibu defeat La Quinta, the championship would be held on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the William Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine.
As the Sharks celebrated amidst their loyal fans, Mulligan shared one final message to his team.
“Play your style of game, have patience and keep doing what you are doing.”
Girls Tennis
Over on the hard courts, the news was less exciting. The Malibu girls tennis team exited the CIF semifinals for the third year in a row despite a valiant effort against No. 1 Arroyo Grande. The Sharks lost, 10-8, to conclude a 14-4 campaign.
“The team was disappointed not to make the finals, but still proud of their achievements this season,” Malibu coach Todd Montgomery said. “We were able to equal the results of last year; remaining undefeated in our league and making it to the CIF semifinals.”
Malibu defeated Camarillo, 10-8, in the quarterfinals to set up the big match against the Eagles. Lauren Louks, Ilana Oleynik and doubles partners Raven Odian and Rachel Purewal won all nine of their sets against the Scorpions.
Against Arroyo Grande (20-1), the Sharks fell just short of reaching the finals.
“I am particularly proud of the way the girls competed this year,” Montgomery said. “It has been a great experience to work with such great people; players, parents, and coaches. It’s very rewarding working with our tennis community.”
