Novato, CA - Goalie Lexi Gallardo was under pressure right from the start Saturday, but she and the players of the College of Marin women’s water polo team maintained their grace under fire during the Big 8/Coast Crossover tournament.
COM welcomed Ohlone, Diablo Valley, San Joaquin Delta, Foothill and Sierra colleges to the new Miwok Aquatic Center at Indian Valley, which officially became the Mariners’ home this season. Each team played two games and COM came out with a 1-1 record.
“This was a great event, to welcome all these teams to our pool,” Marin head coach Steve Carrera said. “There’s a lot of great competition and this is a great venue.”
The Mariners fell to Sierra, 20-12, in the matinee game, after getting off to a slow start. Sierra took a 3-0 lead before Alana McCartney netted three goals in a row to tie the score. McCartney finished with a team-best eight goals.
Sierra then mounted a five-goal run, which COM was unable to overcome. The Mariners struggled to get the ball through to the back of the Sierra net with any regularity, while Sierra pounced on College of Marin’s errors to get the advantage against Gallardo.
The Mariners were far from done for the day, as they had a match with Diablo Valley College two hours later. The Mariners lost, 11-10, to the Vikings on Sept. 30, so they were primed for a chance at redemption — which they got with a 14-12 victory.
The teams picked up right where they left off on Saturday in a fierce battle for control. The Vikings opened the game with back-to-back goals before McCartney answered with the first of her five goals in the game, including a penalty shot in the first quarter.
Diablo Valley held the advantage until Lily Weires stuffed the ball into the back of the net on a breakaway, then followed that 90 seconds later with the second of her five goals. Lilly Jacob, a former standout at San Marin High, tied the score, 7-7, with seven seconds remaining in the first half with a shot to the near corner that slipped past the goalkeeper.
Unlike their previous meeting, when the Mariners held the lead most of the game, this matchup was a back-and-forth affair right down to the wire.
Novato High grad Rebecca Janssen scored a long shot over the Diablo Valley defense with four minutes in the third quarter to tie the game, 10-10. A quick steal on the Vikings outlet pass set up McCartney for another quick goal. The Mariners kept up the attack on their next possession, when Weires picked up the rebound off a save and stuffed it behind the Viking goalkeeper for a 12-10 COM lead.
The Mariners had to delve deep in the final minutes to lock up the win after Diablo Valley rallied to tie the score 12-12 early in the fourth quarter. Jacob scored the winning goal from two meters out with six minutes left, and McCartney added an insurance goal a minute later.
“This was a great win for us,” Carrera said. “This has been one of the best weeks of our season.”
On the heels of a .500 season in their inaugural campaign, the Mariners have emerged as a force in the Bay Area this season. The success of the Mariners water polo program comes as recent high school graduates might find themselves at a crossroads of sorts, with little or no roster space with their first-choice colleges as players use fifth- or even sixth-year eligibility in the wake of COVID. Community college has become a very viable option for many student-athletes.
“COVID has extremely impacted my life, sports career, and college plans in ways I could have never imagined,” said Gallardo, who played water polo with Janssen at Novato High School. “I originally was planning on going straight to a four-year university, but because of COVID, I ended up going to COM which at the end of the day I think was a better fit for me. … My experience so far with this program has been great. The facilities, coaches, teammates, and just overall support that I have gotten from being a part of this program has amazed me.”
San Rafael’s Jill Berryman, Marin Catholic’s Kailah Sarganis, and Tam’s Mia Tokarski, are among those re-energizing their careers at COM.
“Everyone here is really amazing and loving,” said Weires, a 2022 Petaluma grad. “COVID kind of threw things up in the air, with college plans, but I’m glad I found Marin. This is a great place to play and study.”
Meanwhile, Carrera is strengthening his connections to the high school and club water polo programs in the area to build a solid foundation for the Mariners.
“I think we’re seeing a more enthusiastic, better-developed sort of recruiting class … enthusiastic meaning enthusiasm from the community and getting some buy-in from the local high schools that see an opportunity,” Carrera said. “I’ve been very thankful for the coaches and the communication that I’ve been able to establish with the local high schools and it’s paid off.”
The Mariners have four regular season games remaining before the postseason play-in game on Nov. 2.
“We’re going to be battling for that top tier,” Carrera said. “West Valley is the top and after that it’s a free-for-all with Ohlone, us, Foothill, schools like that.”
Story Written By: Derek Wilson - Women’s Water Polo: Host COM splits pair of tournament games