Gainesville’s season came to an end on the road against the Class 1A top-ranked Seminole girls water polo team in a 21-3 loss in the Regional Quarterfinals on Monday.
The Hurricanes faced tall odds against the Fighting Seminoles, the defending state champions and MaxPreps’ top-ranked team in the nation.
GHS senior Megan Bishop got free and scored the first goal to take the lead, 1-0, 22 seconds into the game.
“I was really, really nervous before the game. I was scared out of my mind,“ said Bishop, a four-year player and team captain. “Getting that first goal really calmed me down. I was so happy. It was a really big moment for me.”
The lead was short-lived as Seminole sophomore Gabby Pierson got two goals in the next minute to take the lead, 2-1.
“We just played our game. We press the entire game and play really fast,“ said Seminole coach Ryan Ackerson. “We got a lot of counterattack goals.”
The counterattack left the Seminoles players free to go one-on-one and sometimes two-on-one against GHS sophomore goalie Amanda Velez-Salcedo. By halftime, they extended their lead to 16-1.
“We knew it was going to be a tough battle,” said Gainesville coach Mason Badics. “We knew they were going to press us, but we definitely wanted to compete and give them a run for their money. Many people on this pool deck probably thought we had no chance. The scoreboard maybe didn’t reflect that, but we came out and got the first goal and kept them on their toes. We wanted to play for our seniors.”
The Seminoles emptied their bench in the fourth quarter after building a 21-1 lead. Bishop was able to get a second goal and junior Sasha Kory scored another goal to end the game with the final score of 21-3. The Hurricanes ended their season with a 10-9 record.
The Hurricanes graduate captains Bishop and Lilah Kage, and Alessandra Quintana and Leehee Brauner. Quintana and Brauner were two first-year players and Kage a two-year player.
“I think we did a really good job,” said Kage, who will attend the University of Florida next year and plans to play club water polo. “We lost a lot of players last year and we recruited a lot of new people which was helpful. I think we played well today. We had a good game plan. It’s a sad way to end your career, but I think the team is excited for next season too. I’m glad I got to do this with these girls, winning districts and getting back to regionals.” Seminole senior Fiona Pando, a Junior Olympic All American, led all scorers with seven goals and Pierson added six goals.