Pitman High School was the scene for the first water polo matches of the Central California Athletic League schedule on Thursday night, which were thrilling clashes between the Pride and crosstown rival Turlock High.
Each of the Bulldogs’ varsity teams were able to pull away from the Pride late and secure victories to start their conference campaigns on the right note. The girls won, 12-8, while the boys won by a 19-6 score.
In the girls’ match, Turlock and Pitman, who split the league title last season with matching 9-1 records, were separated by one goal for the majority of their game, until the Bulldogs strung together three goals from the trio of Cora Newell, Joelle Maggard and Summer Stricker over the final three minutes.
Newell started the scoring for Turlock, and led the team with five goals.
With the game tied at four goals apiece thanks to consecutive Pitman goals from Kaydence Braley and Miranda Miramontes with two minutes to go before halftime, Riley Carranza scored two straight goals to give the Bulldogs a lead they would never relinquish, despite the Pride keeping it close.
Pitman goalkeeper Alison Coughlin, despite the loss, limited the damage done by Turlock’s relentless offense, racking up 17 saves, swatting away balls in thunderous fashion.
Meanwhile, Turlock goalie Daphne Lewis had eight saves of her own, including three in that final three minute period.
Turlock’s boys’ team, aiming to win a fifth straight conference championship this year, found themselves in a similar position, leading 6-3 at the intermission.
Braden Silveira was an early spark for the Pride, scoring a pair of goals in the first quarter. He opened Pitman scoring from about 15 yards out before putting the Pride ahead, 2-1, with a spinning strike that prompted an extended ovation from the home crowd. He finished with four goals.
But Turlock’s returning trio of Lars Wenstrand, Jack Brem and Jacob Packwood eventually found their groove, combining for 11 goals. The Bulldogs ended the match by outsourcing their counterparts 9-1 over the last nine minutes of play.
“Pitman has some really good guys, and they showed their skill early,” said Turlock head coach Nic Serratos. “For us, it was just about weathering that storm. I think our biggest tool this year is our depth. We can go six in, six out, and the ability to sub allows us to keep the intensity for four quarters and see if the other team can match us. That was huge today.”
Wenstrand, a three-year varsity player, knows all too well that records and championships go out the window when the two programs get together.
“This one feels really nice, especially because we've really put in a lot of work in the offseason,” said Wenstrand, who has 23 goals on the season. “Especially going against our rival, it’s always going to start out intense. You're never going to go into the game anticipating anything easy. We knew they were coming to fight, and we had to work a bit harder to kind of get that edge over them.”
The Pitman polo program will try to quickly wash away the results from Thursday, with the boys competing at the Roddy Svendsen Tournament at Atwater High School. Both the boys and girls teams will continue their CCAL campaigns Tuesday when they host Modesto High.
The Turlock teams will also have home matches on Tuesday when they welcome Gregori High to the Steve Feaver Aquatic Center.
