Defense has been the calling card for the Merced High girls water polo team this season as they cruised to a Central California Conference championship and earned the top seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs. The Bears’ stifling defense has carried on in the playoffs and was on display once again during Wednesday night’s 17-2 semifinal victory over El Capitan at Merced High’s Dibblee Deck.

 

The Bears improved to 27-2 this season and will now get an opportunity to win back-to-back section championships when they face No. 2 St. Mary’s in the finals on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Roseville Aquatic Center.

 

How good have the Bears been defensively. El Capitan (22-8) is averaging 13.2 goals per game with 357 goals in 27 games against the Gauchos’ other opponents this season. In El Capitan’s three games against Merced this year the Gauchos have scored just 10 goals combined. “Our defense is just relentless,” said Bears coach Kit Grattan. “There isn’t anybody who gets free to do whatever they want because somebody will come and help. It’s the full team, everyone is engaged.”

The Bears defense allows their offense to settle in so they can afford a slow start like Wednesday night. Merced managed just four first-half goals against the Gauchos, but still led comfortably 4-0 at the half. “Our defense is incredible,” said junior Sarah Slocum. “I think communication goes into it a lot. Our communication is amazing, we talk a lot. If you listen, you can hear us out there. It’s not like other teams, it’s special. So communication is one, and trusting each other is also big. I know if I’m behind, another girl is going to come help me. I can keep my hands up, my hips up, I don’t need to freak out. That’s another thing that helps us out a lot.”

 

Slocum scored three of Merced’s four first-half goals to build the lead at halftime. The Bears depth then came into play in the second half as they pulled away from the Gauchos. Merced built a 10-0 lead in the third quarter with five different players scoring goals. “We knew if we kept moving the ball, we'd get our opportunities on offense,” Grattan said. Slocum added two more goals and Taylor Lung, Elise Metcalf, Maren McCall and Kate McIntosh all scored in the third quarter for Merced.

 

“It’s being in the right spot, right time and I just wanted it,” said Slocum of her six-goal performance. “It was determination. Even if it didn’t go the first time, I trusted that my teammates were going to give me the perfect pass and I was going to be able to hammer it in.”

Slocum says her team knows it’s only a matter of time before the offense comes alive. “Our hype man Taylor Lung, she hypes us up a lot,” Slocum said. “We know it’s a four-quarter game and we have a lot of depth. We can sub in and just tire them out. We know that the goals are going to come, our defense is spectacular and we’re going to stop them.”

 

Lung added three goals. Slocum also led defensively with six steals. Dottie Drury and Metcalf both chipped in with three steals as nine Merced players recorded at least one steal. “They work together so well,” Grattan said. “That’s the joy of this coaching job.”

 

Next up for Merced is an opportunity to bring home a blue section banner for the second consecutive season. The Bears will have a tough game against St. Mary’s (20-9). “I’m so excited for just having the chance,” Grattan said. “I think it would be super fun and super rewarding because these girls have put so much work in.”

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.