Dolphins Make Every Second Count

Leighanne Estabrook’s Late Heroics Propel Pali High Girls Water Polo to Fifth City Section Final

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Down by one goal in the waning moments of last Friday’s  City Section semifinal, Palisades High’s water polo squad had one last chance to keep its dream of a championship alive. Desperate to find an open teammate with the clock winding down, goalie Chloe Berrisford spotted Leighanne Estabrook breaking for the net and passed to the Dolphins’ go-to girl, who cocked and fired to level the score with just two seconds left.

Estabrook added the winning goal in overtime as Palisades held off Granada Hills 8-7 to earn a finals rematch against its longtime nemesis Eagle Rock.

“The glare was pretty bad… I couldn’t even see the goal,” an elated Estabrook said of her tying goal. “I didn’t know it went in until I heard the swish of the net. This was one of the most exciting games ever. It’s so much more fun winning by one than by 15 or 20.”    

The fifth-seeded Highlanders nearly pulled off a miracle when a lob pass ricocheted off the crossbar as regulation time expired.

The drama continued in overtime, where the Dolphins struck first on Ally Stahl’s shot from the left side off a feed from Estabrook.

“I saw the corner where I wanted it to go but I didn’t know I had made it,” said Stahl, who was poked in the eye on the play. “I was thinking it would make my high school career if I could win this game for us.”    

It was a physical and intense struggle from start to finish, one  that tested the Dolphins’ stamina and willpower like no contest has all season. In the end, Estabrook refused to let her team lose, scoring four goals, sprinting the length of the pool to deflect a point-blank shot in overtime and shaking off a missed five-meter attempt with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter.

“I normally make those but in that situation it got to my head and I hesitated, which you can’t do,” Estabrook said. “I was saying to myself please hit the bar, hit something. It did, but it didn’t go in. I was mad but I’m glad I was able to get the goal later.”

Estabrook scored again to make it 8-6 at the start of the second half of overtime after thinking the game was over.

“I didn’t know there was another three minutes—I thought we won,” she admitted. “I was scared because when we get a lead ego takes over and sometimes we get complacent but we stayed with it.”        

Granada Hills scored with 20 seconds left in overtime to pull within a goal, but couldn’t steal the ball on the ensuing possession and Palisades ran out the clock. The Dolphins hugged and cried in  the water, letting emotion out, but were almost too tired to celebrate.

There were many heroes, like senior captain Elena Saab, who was struck in the face in the first quarter and received medical attention as concerned teammates held their breath. Saab returned in the second half and assisted on one of Palisades’ goals. Her courage was, in a word, inspirational.

“She was frustrated and elbowed me, okay maybe it was a finger, all I know is that it hurt,” Saab said. “I didn’t want to sit out the rest of the game. When Leighanne scored the tying goal I had no doubt we’d pull through. What an adrenaline rush. I’m on top of the world right now!”

Not to be overlooked was the perseverance of Sydney Brouwer, who had to sit out the second and third quarters after two early ejections but sparked Palisades’ late rally with a breakaway goal.

The top-seeded Dolphins face second-seeded Eagle Rock for the title tonight at 7 at Valley College. Palisades is 0-4 in the finals, every loss at the hands of the Eagles.