Five possessions. Five goals. Game over.
In just the first two minutes of the Malibu Tournament’s championship match, the Malibu High School boys water polo team scored quickly, precisely and efficiently, taking a 5-0 lead en route to a 12-1 victory over Oxnard.
The decisive win enabled the Sharks to capture their own tournament for the third consecutive year and the eighth time overall.
“It is nice that you can have five possessions and get five goals out of it,” Malibu coach Mike Mulligan said. “I think we overpowered them a little bit. I don’t think they were ready for how quick we react and moved defensively. That attributed to the quick start.”
Not only did the Sharks overpower the Yellow Jackets, they spent three days crushing all opponents during the tournament last weekend.
Malibu dismantled Agoura JV (13-6), Calabasas (13-3), Alemany (13-5) and then disposed of Oxnard with relative ease to improve to 8-2 on the young season.
“I thought we played really well,” said senior Phil Campanella, a two-meter defender. “I think we can get better, definitely.”
In winning the 10-team tournament with a throng of Malibu supporters cheering on the Sharks every stroke of the way, there was a display of unselfish water polo that resonated throughout the crystal-clear MHS pool.
“We had good teamwork. We moved the ball around the perimeter and got into sets. It was a good team effort,” said senior Jake Ney. “Our motto is ‘team before talent.’ We are all pretty talented guys. The key is meshing together.”
Saturday’s championship blowout compared to watching a pinball expert ring up points at a dizzying rate. The ball moved so quickly and effortlessly before the Yellow Jackets even knew what stung them.
Owen Franz, one of eight seniors on the Malibu squad, scored three of the game’s first four goals against Oxnard in a mere 1:42 of the opening stanza. Campanella, Hans Cole and Freddy Keith each had a goal as the Sharks sprinted out to a 6-0 lead at the end of the first period.
Mulligan cleared his bench in the second period and the scoring onslaught slowed down a bit. Malibu took leads of 7-0 at the half, 8-0 at the end of three and scored four goals in the final period to close it out. Oxnard scored with 1:07 left to play, avoiding a shutout.
Franz scored a tournament-high 18 goals with Campanella adding 13 goals. Other highlights included Keith’s two goals versus Calabasas and three assists against Alemany, and Cole’s five steals against Alemany.
Goalie Dax Nittolo had seven saves versus Oxnard and three saves against Calabasas. Fellow goaltender Charlie Dijker came up with six saves against Agoura and six saves against Alemany.
The tournament championship came on the heels of a positive, yet gut-wrenching, end in the prestigious Conejo Classic held two weeks prior.
Malibu, the defending Conejo Classic champions, defeated Crescenta Valley (11-7), Newbury Park (15-4) and Palisades Charter (12-9) before succumbing in a nail-biter to Santa Barbara in the semifinals, 9-8, and losing to Ventura, 9-6, in the third place game.
Malibu knocked off Rio Mesa, 13-6, last week and has tough upcoming matches against Santa Barbara and Arroyo Grande before beginning league against Foothill Tech on October 7.
Mulligan feels the tide is turning in a good direction for the Sharks, who are presently the No. 1-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division VI.
“Our guys are ready to go this year. They are starting to be a lot more unselfish,” Mulligan said. “I’m seeing a lot more assists and they are getting more comfortable where they are in the pool. They have the confidence and knowledge knowing where their teammates are in certain situations.”
Being at the top of the current CIF poll is great but ending the season No. 1 as CIF champions would be the preferred choice for the Sharks.
“We want to win CIF this year,” Campanella said.