The Los Altos girls water polo team lost to Merced in the Division III NorCal girls water polo championships Saturday, ending a dream run for the Eagles.
A week after winning the CCS Division I water polo championship, Los Altos entered the Division III NorCal playoffs as the No. 3 seed, beating No. 6 seed Amador Valley 17-5 in Round I and No. 2 seed Garces Memorial 12-11 in the semifinals to reach the final against No. 1 seed Merced.
Los Altos held a 4-3 lead at halftime, but a strong second-half display from Merced saw the Bears outscore the Eagles 7-3, including a 5-3 third quarter. Los Altos got off to a strong start thanks to a good flow on both sides of the ball, but slowed down mentally and physically in the second half, with Merced capitalizing on Los Altos’ mistakes, coach Katie Tasman said.
“They got a few quick goals that helped sway the momentum in their favor in the third quarter and didn’t look back after that. We weren’t able to make the necessary adjustments to stop them. They played a heck of a game and earned the win,” Tasman said in an email. “I am so proud of how we came out and played, our girls never gave up and fought as best we could till the end to try and get it back.”
Los Altos has been on an upward trajectory over the last few seasons, appearing in the CCS Division I championship for the last two years and in a NorCal championship appearance this season, something Tasman attributes to the team’s fight and resilience.
“I am so incredibly proud of all our players and the hard work and dedication that they have put into our season,” Tasman said. “They always had each other’s backs and never gave up. It was because of this that we were able to make such an amazing postseason run into NorCal and they earned every second of it.”
