Resilient Cate Girls Secure First League Win in Overtime Nail-Biter

January 13, 2024

Van Lynde’s 5-goal performance propels the team to a thrilling win

Ani Van Lynde, ’25, scored one of her 5 goals. Image by Katie

Lucy Guilbert Neal ’25 finished with 2 goals. Image by Katie

Yesterday, our Cate girl’s water polo team hosted its first league match of the season versus Foothill Tech High School. Our squad jumped out to an impressive start to the game leading 3-0 after the first period, and 5-2 at halftime. Our ability to move the ball effectively around the pool and work for our whole set was fantastic early on. We were able to earn exclusion fouls, which led to several power play opportunities. We scored a plethora of goals by being unselfish and looking for the extra pass on our 6-on-5 opportunities.

Credit to Foothill, they made some adjustments at halftime and came out spirited and eager to get back into the game. The match’s score was 6-7 after the third period and 10-10 after the fourth; we were headed to overtime. In the overtime period, Kate Mccoy ’25 would convert on a penalty shot goal, ultimately winning us the game. She finished the contest with three goals. In the end, we would come away with an 11-10 win.

Goal scorers for us were Ani Van Lynde ’25 (5), Kate Mccoy ’25 (3), Lucy Guilbert-Neal ’25 (2), and Violet Monda ’27 (1). Daisy Gemberling ’25 was a wall in the cage, racking up double-digit saves; some at point-blank range. Defensive standouts for us were Claire Clark ’24, Tallulah Bates ’25, and Betsy Peters ’27. This was a complete team win and I am so proud of our team’s resilience, grit, and togetherness. There were several momentum shifts and our team remained calm and collected in the face of adversity.

Looking ahead, our next game is on the road at Villanova HS. We hope to build on this strong performance with our league schedule ahead of us. Go Rams!