Dolphins Can’t Splash Eagle Rock’s Party

Palisades High Girls Water Polo Falls in City Section Finals for Third Straight Season

Something had to give when the Palisades High girls water polo team met defending champion Eagle Rock for the City Section water polo championship last Thursday night at Valley College.

The Eagles were determined to keep their dynasty alive. Palisades was equally determined to start its own. Having lost to Eagle Rock in the finals the previous two years the Dolphins were hoping the third time was a charm. They even dyed their armpits blue before the game.

In the end, nothing could keep the top-seeded Eagles (26-4) from capturing their fourth title in a row and 68th straight victory against City competition with a 12-9 win.

The second-seeded Dolphins (18-6) pumped in 51 goals in their first three playoff games, but against Eagle Rock they were kept off the scoreboard for nearly 12 minutes in the first half and found themselves trailing 9-2 at intermission.

“We missed a lot of shots that we normally make but we outplayed them, they just scored a few more,” said first-year head coach Brad Silver, who was fired from Westside Aquatics  in early February and is unsure if he’ll be back to coach Palisades next season. “They did exactly what I expected. We won the second half so we just needed to play the first half like the second half.”

Sophomore hole setter Jackie Au hit the crossbar on Palisades’ first possession, then goalie Rachel Dean saved a shot by Eagles’ top scorer Lindsey Garcia. Genesis Carballo hit the crossbar moments later, but Mardell Ramirez scored to give the Dolphins a 1-0 lead. Alena Sanchez needed less than 30 seconds to tie it and Garcia gave Eagle Rock a 2-1 lead. Au  tied it 2-2 with 2:10 left, but Garcia answered with three goals in a 68-second span.

“They’re one of the best defensive teams we’ve played and they had a player who could shoot from anywhere,” said Au, who scored three goals. “I felt as if we won because we did much better than last year. The saddest part wasn’t losing, it’s saying goodbye to the seniors.”

One of those seniors, Ramirez, has been the cornerstone of the program the last four years. She led the Dolphins with five goals and two assists in the final.

“One problem I always have is  I pass too much,” said Ramirez, who played with Garcia on the Olympic Development team and is an All-City swimmer. “In the second half we focused more on having fun and we started playing better. Last night I was writing speeches for our banquet and I was sobbing in my bed.”

Ramirez scored the first goal of the second half on a 6-on-5 advantage and added another to cut the deficit to 9-4. Trailing by six goals entering the final quarter the Dolphins  finished strong on two goals from Ramirez and one apiece by Au and Roya Vosconti.

Palisades lost to Eagle Rock 14-7 last winter and 12-7 in 2013.

“They’re always a tough opponent but it comes down to who wants it more,” said Garcia, who is headed for Cal State Northridge. “Mardell is a great player and she’ll beat me in swimming.”

Silver attributed his team’s success to the bond between players and coach: “We’re a family. These are my 20 stepdaughters. It was fun. They dyed their armpits blue for goodness sake. That’s hilarious.”