Menlo’s varsity girls water polo team fell 18-3 to Sacred Heart Preparatory on Saturday in the West Catholic Athletic League finals. The game started off close as junior Kate Hirsch and freshman Alessia Alataris scored early in the first quarter.
However, the Gators were winning 4-2 going into the second quarter. After an early goal by freshman Lauren Giesselman, the Gators pulled ahead, leading 11-3 at the half. SHP left Menlo scoreless in the second half, winning the WCAL tournament final by a comfortable margin.
While the game did not go in Menlo’s favor, Hirsh, a captain on the team, is proud the Knights placed second in the WCAL regular season and tournament. “We knew going into the game that it was going to be a tough matchup, but I thought it was really fun,” Hirsh said. “Everyone got to play and we did not go into the season expecting to get second in league, so that’s a super big win for us.”
The Knights will be seeded on Nov. 4 for the Central Coast Section playoffs. Last year, the Knights lost to Saint Francis in the CCS quarterfinals. This year, they defeated them 13-7 on Wednesday in the WCAL semifinals.
