The562’s coverage of aquatic sports in Long Beach is sponsored by the Aquatic Capital of America Foundation.
The annual Moore league girls water polo showcase took place Wednesday evening at Cabrillo, as Poly, Wilson, and Cabrillo each gutted out wins in three back-to-back games.
In a tight-knit Moore League community, the showcase has become an event for players and coaches across Long Beach to catch up, as well as compete to show off the city’s girls’ water polo programs.
Jags’ coach Hailey Pederson reflected after the games on how much of an honor it is to host the showcase at Cabrillo’s aquatic facility.
“It’s definitely an honor. All of the Moore league coaches are really good friends as well as the players of all the teams. So we always have a lot of support here. It was nice to see everyone here together and be at our home pool.”
The Jaguars hosted the last of the three games, taking on cross-town rivals Jordan in what ended up being the closest game of the night.
The two teams traded blows to open the game, and found themselves knotted up at three apiece midway through the second quarter. However, the tie wouldn’t last long as the Jags went on to score four unanswered goals including back-to-back goals from Flor Garibay in just a span of one minute. Cabrillo would go on to win it with a final score of 10-5.
“Jordan is known as our rival, so for us to get a win over them, it’s pretty big,” said Pederson. “Jordan is getting better and with them getting better, we are too. So it sets up the expectations for games in the future. We have to win two more (league games) in order to make CIF, so moving forward that’s what we’re aiming for.”
The Jags’ finished with three scores from Vivian Alderete, Arleen Castillo, and Garibay, while Jordan found goals from Valerie Farias, Alessandra Moreno, and Melanie Madrid, as well as two from Alexa Hernandez.
Poly opened the night against Lakewood, with nine out of their 11 rostered players finding the back of the cage. Senior Anna Mor led the scoring, with five goals on her own as Poly jumped out to a quick lead before winning it 20-2.
Poly coach Ryan Rockenbach had been pushing for more physicality from his team leading up to this game, and said that their physical defense allowed them to pull away early in the contest.
“I would say we did stifle their offense a bit and that’s been a big message for us – getting them up to a level of physicality. We do have a lot of returning varsity players, but not a lot of them are used to getting as many minutes as they’re getting this year. So, getting them up to that level of physicality especially now that we’re up to D2 is crucial.”
Poly’s win concludes their schedule of games in 2023, as the Jackrabbits resume Moore league play with a huge matchup against Millikan on January 17th.
“This win definitely does give us a boost,” said Rockenbach of his teams’ morale heading further into league play. “This is our last game of 2023 so going into Christmas break and ending a big year like this is extra special.”
Wilson followed up Poly’s win with a lopsided win of their own, as they defeated Millikan 26-6 just an hour later. The Bruins’ Jermonie Billingsley, Emily Cirbari, and Katherine O’Dea each poured on five goals, contributing to Wilson’s big win.
“Our first half was really good. I saw that we have the capability when we want to be really good on defense. The girls’ are starting to learn that when you put a bit of effort into defense it makes the offense easier,” said Wilson head coach Barry O’Dea.
Despite winning big, O’Dea gave great appreciation to the Long Beach water polo community coming together for yet another league showcase after the game.
“It’s great for the Moore League and the sport of girls water polo here in Long beach. It’s just a chance to showcase what Long beach has to offer. We take pride in playing well, especially in these big league games or in this showcase. It’s good for our whole city,” said O’Dea.
Wilson will resume league play at the beginning of the new year against Cabrillo on January 10th.
