Crescenta Valley girls’ water polo flexes defensive muscle in 14-3 win versus Burroughs
Crescenta Valley High’s Kaitlyn Moguel looks for an open lane with Burroughs’ Viktorya Saroyan defending.
In what was the final Pacific League girls’ water polo contest for Crescenta Valley High before the league’s tournament, the Falcons showed just how wide the chasm is between them and the rest of the league.
Crescenta Valley was nearly flawless defensively in a 14-3 victory over host Burroughs on Thursday afternoon.
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With the win, the Falcons improved to 13-1 overall and 6-0 league, while Burroughs dropped to 11-9, 4-1. The Indians still have a league road contest against Arcadia on Wednesday.
It’s likely both seeds will enter the Pacific League Tournament on Feb. 9 at Burbank High as the top two seeds.
“I think the biggest thing for us is that we [counter-attacked],” Falcons Coach Ricky Mulcahey said. “In the first half, we had so many fast breaks and wide-open goals. When you put up four or five before they put up one, it’s hard to give them momentum.”
The Falcons led, 4-0, after one quarter and, in total, scored six unanswered goals, with the last coming with 3:12 remaining in the first half on a score from Alexandra Garas (four goals and four steals) off an assist from Kaitlyn Moguel (one goal and five steals).
At the 2:56 mark in the second quarter, Burroughs broke through on a seven-meter goal from Gwen Turla that accounted for all the team’s offense in the first half.
Crescenta Valley countered with a goal from Audrey Taylor (team-high five goals) with 1:50 remaining on a six-on-five opportunity as the Falcons closed the first half up, 7-1.
“Hey, we knew this was going to be a tough game,” Burroughs Coach Jacob Cook said. “We knew that CV is always amazing. They have a lot of talent and athletes. My goalie plays with some of these girls and they’re just tough.”
Burroughs did not score again until late in the fourth quarter when Turla tallied her second goal with 2:14 remaining. By then, however, Crescenta Valley had reeled off a 7-0 run in going up, 14-2.
The Falcons were most dominant in the third quarter, winning the frame, 6-0, while attempting 12 shots and allowing only two. Crescenta Valley also forced nine turnovers in the quarter and 25 for the contest.
What made Crescenta Valley particularly tough wasn’t just a stout defense up front, but also in the cage.
Goalie Mackenzie Drewe finished with 12 saves, with two of those stops coming on man-advantages. While Crescenta Valley finished three for seven on six-on-five tries, Burroughs was 0 for four.
“The defense was very good this game,” said Drewe, who added four steals. “I think we were on because we knew that Burroughs, out of the whole league, would be our toughest competition. I think we came out with the attitude that we have to play tough defense.”
Despite the score, Burroughs goalie Kate Wilke also turned in a strong effort. The St. Francis University-bound senior finished with 10 saves, including two stuffs on a six-on-five try late in the third quarter.
“I’m proud of the way my girls played,” Cook said. “We didn’t win, but we tried our hardest and we didn’t quit. This is a good learning experience for us.”
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Andrew J. Campa, andrew.campa@latimes.com
Twitter: @campadresports
