The Buena Park High girls’ water polo team has endured, shouldered and failed to break a jinx while facing Sunny Hills for over a decade. After all, it has been 12 years since BP defeated Sunny Hills, a traditional powerhouse in the Freeway League.
Yes, a dozen seasons had come and gone since the Coyotes defeated the Lancers in a Freeway League, non-league or tournament game.
Well, that draught ended on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
The Buena Park High girls’ water polo team has endured, shouldered and failed to break a jinx while facing Sunny Hills for over a decade. After all, it has been 12 years since BP defeated Sunny Hills, a traditional powerhouse in the Freeway League.
Yes, a dozen seasons had come and gone since the Coyotes defeated the Lancers in a Freeway League, non-league or tournament game.
Well, that draught ended on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
The Coyotes defeated the Lancers with a 6-4 victory – and to make matters sweeter – to take the first of a two-game, Freeway League series at Buena Park High.
“All I knew was that we had not beaten them in years,” Buena Park head coach Jeff Ra said. “Our team did a great job of executing and sticking to our game plan.”
Like Ra, who took over the program just two years ago, most of the Coyotes knew nothing about the winless streak. That list included the team’s only seniors: Jazmin Ryles and Andrea Herrera.
“Yeah, I didn’t know,” said Herrera, who shook her head.
“We knew that it had been a long time, and that I had not been on a team here that won against them,” said Ryles, who joined the varsity squad as a freshman.
The Coyotes (5-2, 1-0) delivered an impressive defensive performance. They used the school’s trademark press to limit the Lancers – who took nearly twice as many shots on goals – to just two goals per half. The Coyotes disrupted the counterattacks of the speedy Lancers, who grew frustrated as the contest unfolded.
The Lancers did sometimes break through the press, but when they did manage to get off shots, Coyotes goalie Shaliyah Day blocked most of their attempts. In all, Day blocked 11 shots, shutting out the opposition during the second and fourth quarters. Ryles supplied most of the offensive clout. The senior utility player finished with a game-high three goals. Herrera also tossed in a pair of scores and Natalia Giraud recorded another.
The Coyotes, who only fired off nine shots on goal, ended the first quarter locked in a 2-2 tie. Lancers goalie Kathy Hernandez kept the Coyotes off the board during the second quarter, which finished with a 2-2 tie at the halftime break. She ended with three saves and two steals.
The Lancers (13-2, 0-1) gained the lead in the third, outscoring the Coyotes by a goal to own a 4-3 with just eight minutes to play. However, the Coyotes delivered their most explosive offensive display in the fourth, notching three goals while the Lancers failed to add to their total. Sunny Hills, a Fullerton-based school with Buena Park attendees, featured four scorers with one goal each.
That list included Tessa Duxbury, Kendall Smith, Megan Tanielu and Kate Vera. Also on offense, Duxbury notched a pair of assists and Kimraj Jordan had one.
On defense, Dobury matched Vera with two steals, Ashley Manning and Ashley Pineda both snagged four, and Smith finished with one. Last but not least, Tanielu earned a staggering eight steals. Buena Park returned to action against Troy on Jan. 16 and will play the same team in another Freeway League game on Feb. 4. Sunny Hills faced La Habra on Jan. 16 and then took on Troy at home on Jan. 23.
The scores from the Jan. 16 contest are not available due to production conflicts. In other action, the Buena Park High J.V. team assured fans that the more victories against Sunny Hills might be on the horizon. It posted a 7-5 win in a contest that followed the varsity matchup. Several Coyotes gave noteworthy performances that suggest the program has a promising future. Lily Licea led the team with three goals and goalie Arejana O’Boyle made nine saves.
