Garces girls fall short in water polo title match
| Saturday, Nov 14 2009 11:17 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Nov 14 2009 11:21 PM
VISALIA -- Garces' girls water polo team had shown quite a flair for the dramatic in two overtime victories in the Division III Central Section playoffs, so a late deficit to top seed Visalia-Redwood on Saturday wasn't too much of a concern.
But every time the Rams seemed close to getting the goal that would set them up for a great finish, a Redwood defender swiped the ball away. Or Rangers goalie Jessica Armagost tipped the shot at the last minute. Or that pesky crossbar got in the way.
In the end, Redwood stifled No. 3-seeded Garces 5-2 at El Diamante HIgh School for the school's second straight section title.
"We have an excellent goalie, we have two good middle-man guards," said Redwood coach Nichole Lee, whose team shut out Tulare Union 4-0 in the semifinals. "And plus, the girls just hustle. We just really put some pressure on."
For Garces, just getting to this game was an accomplishment in itself. The school started Kern County's only water polo program just last year, and 12 months later, the Rams scored late goals to stun No. 6 Hanford West 10-9 on Tuesday and No. 2 Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial in Thursday's semifinals, with both wins coming in overtime.
"We knew we had succeeded whether or not we won this game," senior Ali Ruettgers said. "You want to win, and I have that competitive side in me that wants to win that Valley title. But you know what? It's coming so far, and all the practices and all of the work, all of it has come together. To learn a completely new sport that is foreign to our whole county, no one expected this."
And the Rams offense got off to a roaring start in the final, too, getting a goal from Ruettgers just two and a half minutes into the game for a 1-0 lead.
But Redwood responded in championship fashion, scoring twice in the first quarter, then twice more in the final two minutes of the first half. The backbreaker might have come in the first two minutes of the third quarter, when Candice Pacheco fired a shot from the middle of the pool as the shot clock expired.
It looped just over the fingertips of Garces goalie Megan Varga and gave the Rangers a 5-1 lead.
"When you go right at the buzzer, you should have everything under control, and then you lose it. That's a mistake on our part," Garces coach Petra Koudelkova said. "It definitely hurts you. ... Perhaps we are not experienced enough in games like this, with the pressure of a championship game. Nobody was thinking we were going to be winning. It takes more experience to deal with a situation like this.
From there, the Rams got a second goal from Ruettgers to pull within three, but they were stymied possession after possession by Redwood.
"We tried to mix it up, putting people in different positions, in my spot," Ruettgers said. "But they have a good defense. It comes down to that. They have a good defense, and I won't deny it."
And so Garces' dream ended with little drama. But not before a magical run gave a new program its first taste of championship action.
"It's proud to be here," Koudelkova said. "As a coach, you would always like to win, and there will be a little bit of sadness and disappointment. But I'm definitely very proud that we fought we so hard and got so far."
