The Sacred Heart Prep girls’ water polo team established a little personal history by holding off Castilleja, 5-4, in the Central Coast Section Division II championship game on Saturday at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center.
The top-seeded Gators (23-6) won their second straight CCS title, the first time in school history. It wasn’t easy, however, as No. 2-seeded Castilleja (19-10) gave SHP a battle.
Castilleja was making only its first appearance in the CCS finals in 10 years and, while the Castilleja players were happy to be there, they believed they also could win it. They came pretty close, rallying from a 4-1 halftime deficit to tie the match at 4 in the third period following goals by sophomore Natasha von Kaeppler, senior Laura Martinez and senior Ericka von Kaeppler.
Castilleja also changed its defense in that third period, clamping down on SHP senior Yvonne Dunlevie, who scored three goals in the first half to stake her team to the lead. SHP coach Jon Burke finally decided to move Dunlevie to the outside again, where she had scored in the first half. When that happened, Castilleja had to put defenders on her, thus opening the middle.
With just 1:14 left in the match, SHP junior Heather Smith took a pass inside and whipped a backhanded shot past Castilleja sophomore goalie Evan Cranston for the winning goal.
