Misiryan, Burbank girls’ water polo edge Hoover in league
BURBANK — Locked in a close match in the fourth quarter, Suzie Misiryan provided a glimmer of sunshine in the rain.
In the midst of a steady downpour, the Burbank High girls’ water polo senior goalkeeper faced a barrage of shots, and she didn’t mind staying busy.
Misiryan finished with 14 saves, including 10 in fourth quarter, to help Burbank register a 7-4 Pacific League home win against Hoover on Tuesday.
“I was kind of nervous coming into the match with it being senior day, but my mom was there to watch me play and that helped a lot,” said Misiryan, one of four seniors on the squad. “I felt good a little bit into the game and then made some saves.
“I got a lot of saves [in the fourth quarter]. I think it’s the best game I’ve played this season. I just followed the ball well.”
Burbank (5-7, 2-2 in league) received three goals from Sera Shahbazian, two from Patil Minassian and one each from Michelle Morlock and Sophia Brice.
Misiryan helped Burbank fend off Hoover (0-5 in league) late in the fourth quarter before Burbank got one goal apiece from Shahbazian and Morlock in the final 90 seconds.
“Usually, Suzie is good for about seven or eight saves per game,” Burbank coach Zack Card said. “She had an incredible effort that resulted in a great game.
“She’s very athletic and has got quick reflexes. We were expecting a tight battle coming into the game and I didn’t really know all that much about Hoover.”
Misiryan made three saves, including two with the Bulldogs down a player following an ejection, with Burbank protecting a 5-3 lead near the midway point of the fourth quarter.
Hoover, coming off a 6-5 league home loss against Burroughs on Thursday, closed to within 5-4 on a goal by Anahit Mirzoyan with 1:37 left in the fourth quarter.
“We did all we could,” Hoover first-year coach Niki De Leon said. “We were getting plenty of scoring chances in the second half, but we just couldn’t get many past the goalkeeper.
“Our defense has gotten better each game and we are making a lot of improvements. We’ve been losing some close games, like today and against Burroughs.”
Burbank took a 1-0 lead in the first quarter on a goal by Shahbazian with 5:54 left.
Hoover responded with one goal each from Mirzoyan and Nane Akopyan early in the second quarter to take a 2-1 lead.
Morlock closed out the first-half scoring with 31 seconds to go to tie it at 2.
Shahbazian gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead with 4:07 left in the third quarter.
Brice made it 4-2 with a man-advantage goal with 3:23 to play in the third quarter. It marked the first man-advantage goal in nine attempts for the Bulldogs.
Burbank converted on just two of 10 man-advantage opportunities.
“We have some work to do in our six-on-five situations,” Card said. “We’ll be working on that in practice.”
The Tornadoes pulled to within 4-3 on a goal by Akopyan with 36 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Minassian made it 5-3 with 3:53 to go in the fourth quarter.
Burbank will take part in a league road match against Pasadena on Thursday and Hoover will have a bye.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
