Redondo’s girls water polo remained in the hunt for a Bay League title with come-from-behind 9-7 upset of host Mira Costa in the first of two league meetings between the teams.
According to Redondo head coach Shelby Haroldson, the victory on Jan. 20 marked the first time in approximately 11 years the Sea Hawks had defeated their rivals
“It was definitely an exciting game and a great win for Redondo,” Haroldson. “We knew going into the game that it was going to be a tough one but the girls did a great job at not letting it get to them.”
After jumping out to an early 3-1 lead, Mira Costa held a 4-2 advantage at halftime. Redondo rallied to tie the score 4-4 at the end of three quarters before pulling ahead in the final frame.
Madeline McCaw scored three goals, Sophie Maguy and Mackenzie Thomas each added two and Katelin Harris and Camille Grace each had one goal for Redondo.
“We had a rough start to the game and to some I bet they already thought they knew the outcome of the game,” Haroldson added. “But our girls continually changed the momentum of the game in every quarter.”
With four Bay League teams ranked in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 top ten, the battle for the championship will be a dogfight.
Redondo and Mira Costa entered the week with 3-1 Bay League records followed by Palos Verdes and Peninsula at 2-2. The Sea Hawk’s win at Mira Costa moved Redondo up four spots to No. 4 in the CIF-SS Division 3 rankings. Mira Costa dropped two spots to No. 5 as did Palos Verdes who now holds the No. 9 position. Peninsula moved into the top 10 and is ranked No. 8.
Redondo will be tested twice on the road this week, playing at Peninsula on Thursday at travelling to Palos Verdes on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Mira Costa, who defeated Palos Verdes 6-5 in its first meeting, throttled the host Sea Kings 11-4 on Tuesday behind Kaylee Brownsberger’s seven-goal performance,
The Mustangs will take on West at the Torrance Plunge on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Haroldson said her Redondo team is playing with a new-found confidence.
“Since the beginning of the season I kept telling the girls that they have a shot at a league title and I believe that the win against Costa helped them realize that the possibility can be a reality,” Haroldson said. “Going into these next round of league games is going to be tougher than ever. All the top ranked schools have had very close games against one another so it will be interesting to see what happens in the end.”
