Ventura in Too Deep and Falls to Cabrillo

About three months ago, the Ventura High girls’ water polo team played a scrimmage against Lompoc Cabrillo in the preseason.

And by all accounts, it was ugly for the Cougars.

“They absolutely killed us,” Coach Mark Schmidt of Ventura said.

That’s why Schmidt took a bit of pride in the Cougars’ 13-6 loss to Cabrillo on Tuesday in a Southern Section Division II quarterfinal at Ventura.

“I didn’t think we played badly at all,” Schmidt said. “We’ve improved a lot through the season.”

Fourth-seeded Cabrillo (19-8), which snapped Ventura’s eight-game winning streak, advances to Friday’s semifinals.

Ventura (14-13) trailed by eight goals late in the game.

Cabrillo’s stifling defense forced 20 turnovers and silenced Lauren O’Brien, Ventura’s all-time leading scorer and assist leader, in the first half.

“Everywhere I went there was somebody directly on me,” said O’Brien, who scored all three of her goals in the second half. “That team knew what they had to do and they did it well, obviously.”

O’Brien, a 5-7 senior driver who finished with 243 goals in four seasons, missed all three shots in the first half and was three of nine in the second half.

Cabrillo wasted little time establishing itself against the Cougars when Devon Rameson scored twice in the first 2:42.

The Conquistadores extended their lead to 5-0 on a seven-meter shot by Jessica Alvarado with 4:49 remaining in the second quarter.

Ventura, which made one of eight shots in the first half, stopped the Cabrillo onslaught with Tara Mortimer’s goal with 1:47 left in the first half.

“It took us a while to get that first goal and at that point we were almost out of the game,” Schmidt said. “It’s hard to come back against a good team like that.”

Seven players scored for Cabrillo. Rameson had six goals.

Goalie Casey Jones of Cabrillo had 11 saves and three steals.

“Her play allowed us to stay within the game plan we wanted to run,” Coach Joel Jory said.