By Jordan Odiakosa
Eighteen excruciating seconds is what the girlsâ water polo season came down to. The team had prepared for this moment for over six months. They trained in the blistering California summer sun for several hours at a time, competed in tournaments to test their mettle and practiced together after school, training to be champions. Over the course of their 22 game regular season, the girlsâ water polo team blew out teams by large margins, stifled offenses with their suffocating defense and performed as a team.
The team entered into the playoffs ranked first in Division 4 and lived up to their billing, easily bypassing each opponent on the way to the CIF finals.
With less than half a minute left, the team turned to their freshman Ashley Grossman to deliver the game-tying goal. In the waning moments Grossman launched two goals, but both failed to convert.
âIt wasnât how I normally would have shot it with a lot of power,â Grossman said. âI knew I had to take it, so I just shot at the first opportunity instead of waiting for something better.â
The team ended their season with a 22-3 record.