Anisa Salazar
Senior Editor
The women’s water polo team gained their second consecutive win, this time against Redlands, 7-4, Wednesday at the La Verne Aquatic Center.
Head coach Robert Echeverria credits the win to strong defense and a good performance by sophomore goalkeeper Miranda Graham.
“We basically shut them out for two quarters in the second half,” Echeverria said. “Our defense was hot, and I think that was also a major contributor to Miranda … She’s a big presence in the goal, but she also had six defenders willing to battle for her.”
Graham had 12 saves with a 75% save rate.
The first quarter set the tone for the game; both teams went back and forth with shots at goal. The Bulldogs scored the first goal of the game, but the Leopards responded with high intensity and a goal shortly after.
The competitiveness on both sides ended the first quarter tied at 2-2.
The second quarter started slightly slow offensively on both ends, but ultimately, the Leopards capitalized on their momentum.
“We’ve been really trying to push defense, and I think this was a really good defensive game for us, especially with Miranda in the cage,” senior utility Brooklyn Young said. “All of us stepped up on defense this game.”
Young assisted a goal in the second quarter for junior utility Anika Nichols. The Bulldogs scored one goal, but the half ended with the Leopards on top, 4-3, after a penalty shot by Nichols.
“Our coach being really motivated for us to play hard defense really helped us, especially during halftime,” graduate center guard Nancy Trinh said. “He just reminded us that defense wins games, so I think that was really the catalyst for us winning this game.”
Nichols said that making sure she and her teammates stayed composed throughout the game was important.
“We tend to panic at times,” Nichols said. “When coach gets nervous, we get nervous, an ejection happens, a goal gets scored, etc. We start panicking, making dumb plays, dumb decisions, so playing smart and listening to the advice our coaches give us is definitely something that we really pay attention to.”
High-intensity defense from the Leopards in the third quarter allowed the Bulldogs to score only once.
Points in the third were converted by sophomore attacker Madison Coss and Nichols, ending the quarter with Leopards in the lead, 6-4.
When setting up for her penalty shots, Nichols found the courage to get the ball in the back of the net.
“I was very nervous, but a big part of it is, it’s for my team, and we all really wanted to win, and that was my role in this game,” Nichols said.
The Bulldogs failed to score in the fourth quarter while the Leopards put up high pressure with their defence. Nichols scored her fourth goal with a penalty shot to end the game, 7-4.
“The season is not over, we’re just getting started, and I think we’re hopefully peaking at the right time,” Echeverria said.
Next up, the women’s water polo team will play at 11 a.m. Saturday against Pomona-Pitzer at the La Verne Aquatic Center.
Anisa Salazar can be reached at anisa.salazar@laverne.edu.
Anisa Salazar is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is sports editor, social media editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times. She previously served as a staff writer.
Jesse Juarez is a senior photography major and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. A camera has been a very powerful tool and a vessel of expression for him. While originally focused on portraits and fashion photography, his work is continuously evolving. His other work can be found at jessejxo199x.edublogs.org.
