Trailing by one goal at the half, there was no panic or worry for the Merced High girls water polo team. The Bears have excelled in the second half through their playoff run so there was a calm, confidence in the Merced huddle. 

 

Top-seeded Merced once again raised its level of play in the final two quarters, pouring five goals in the net to take the lead in the third quarter and then pulling away late in the fourth quarter for a 10-7 victory over No. 3 Los Altos in the NorCal Regional Division III Championship Game at the University of the Pacific’s Douglas Eberhardt Aquatics Center on Saturday morning. The win capped a historic run for the Bears (31-2), who became the first MUHSD water polo team to win a NorCal championship.

 

“In these games, you normally feel a lot of emotion and other things, but I didn't feel like that,” said Merced sophomore Taylor Lung, who scored two of her three goals in the third quarter. “I felt calm and cool. I trusted my  teammates because we always trusted ourselves in the second half.”

After a defensive first half that saw the Eagles (25-7) scratch their way to a 4-3 lead at the half, Merced picked up the scoring pace in the third quarter. The Bears did it by burying shots from outside. Junior Olivia Weterberg set the tone with two long-distance shots that found the net to give Merced its first lead of the game at 5-4 with 5:20 left in the third quarter. 

 

The teams went back and forth as they each answered with big shots with neither team leading by more than one goal until the final three minutes of the game. Lung scored two big goals from long distance to give the Bears the lead and both times the Eagles answered with goals to pull even. Finally Merced’s Dorothy Drury scored with 41 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Bears an 8-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

 

“We just had this determination after the third quarter, everyone was like, we got this. we're in this, we can do this,” said Merced junior Sarah Slocum. “We know all of our work throughout the entire season is going to pay off right now.”

 

The Bears were able to clamp down defensively and shut the Eagles out in the fourth quarter, forcing them into tough shots. When Los Altos did get a good look, Merced goalie Audrey O’Bruba came up with big stops as she finished with 12 saves. Slocum gave the Bears the insurance goals they needed, putting in a rebound for a goal and a 9-7 lead with 2:41 left in the game. Slocum added her third goal of the game to give the Bears a 10-7 lead with 1:53 remaining. 

The Bears were soon celebrating something no other water polo team had done in school history. The players celebrated by pulling their coaches into the pool one last time. “This means everything,” Slocum said. “Words can’t describe this feeling.”

 

Merced received contributions from everyone as Slocum and Lung both scored three goals. Westerberg added two goals and four assists. Drury also assisted on three goals. Slocum also came away with five steals.

 

The Bears had to defeat three section championship teams in their run to the NorCal title. After a season filled with blowouts, Merced was tested in its 9-7 section championship win over St. Mary’s and the Bears emerged victorious in two grueling NorCal battles against Stevenson and Los Altos.  “I think we've been wanting these tight games,” Bears head coach Kit Grattan said. “They're more exciting for everybody, including the players. Our players never got down, even though there were some times where they were hanging their heads. We've seen it before, we've been behind, but they never get discouraged. They keep positive, they work with each other, and it is super exciting when it's a close game, especially for our super crowd, because we do have a super crowd.”

The Bears received a NorCal championship plaque and each player received a championship medal. Lung said it was special to celebrate the championship with such a tight-knit team. ”It means so much because we love each other truly,” Lung said. “That's what makes this so special, it’s  all the memories we've made throughout the season, all the hard work we put in, every practice, every game, it's all led to here. And we're just so proud of each other, so proud that our team will be remembered in our school’s great history.”

 

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