With a dominant second period, the Madera Coyote girls water polo team easily dispatched the Liberty-Bakersfield Patriots in the first-round of the Central Section Div. III Playoffs at McAlister Pool.
The Coyotes outscored Liberty, 7-1, in the second quarter, and cruised for a 16-10 victory Tuesday to send them to the quarterfinals. The Coyotes faced the Chowchilla Tribune in what has quickly become a rivalry on Thursday. The teams split two matches during the season.
Emily Wattenbarger led the Coyotes with eight goals, including the last four Madera goals. Ari Gill scored three while Aubrey Tatro and Giselle Jimenez added two each, and Crystal Oregel added another.
In a physical match-up, Liberty was called for 12 exclusion fouls, and had two players disqualified for three exclusion fouls each. Meanwhile, the Coyotes were called for just three exclusion fouls.
It only took one minute for a team to get on the scoreboard, and the Patriots scored for a 1-0 lead.
The Coyotes answered 39 seconds later in a man-up situation. Wattenbarger got the ball on the left, and sent a skip shot into the right corner to tie the score.
Madera turned the ball in the middle, and Liberty got a breakaway goal with 4:38 left in the first.
The Patriots scored on another breakaway goal to take a 3-1 lead with three minutes left in the first period.
With 1:13 left in the first, Gill, on the right with the shot clock winding down, sent a shot into the upper left corner for the goal, and a 3-2 Patriots’ lead at the end of the first.
With the goal, the Coyotes scored 15 of the next 20 goals to take control of the match.
Just 40 seconds into the second period, Gill sent a floater from the right into the left side of the net to tie the match at three.
About 30 seconds later, Tatro came up with a steal, and got the pass back from Wattenbarger on a give-and-go. Tatro sent the ball from the left into the near post for a 4-3 lead.
Eighteen seconds later, Tatro sent a shot that went off the left post, but Wattenbarger was there to send the rebound into the net for a 5-3 lead.
Jimenez got the ball in the middle, and sent a long pass to the left for Tatro, who sent a shot inside the near post for a 6-3 lead with four minutes left in the half.
Liberty scored on a long range shot to cut the lead to two.
However, 39 seconds later, Gill got the ball on the left, but shot wide to the right. Jimenez coming on the weak side, got the ball, and sent it into the open net for a 7-4 lead.
A minute later, Gill, on the left, sent the ball to Wattenbarger in the middle. Wattenbarger’s backhand shot went to the right for an 8-4 lead.
The Coyotes added another goal before the half with a five-meter penalty shot. Wattenbarger found the left corner for a 9-4 lead with 17.5 seconds left in the half.
Liberty scored the first goal of the second half just 28 seconds into the period with a lob shot over goalie Katie Sanchez.
The Coyotes came back a minute later. Wattenbarger, on the right, had her shot blocked on goal. However, Oregel was there to push the ball into the open net for a 10-5 lead.
Two minutes later, in a man-advantage, Jimenez got the ball on the left, and shot inside the near post for a goal, and an 11-5 lead.
In another man-advantage a minute later, Gill got the ball in the middle, and shot inside the right corner for a 12-5 lead, which gave the Coyotes an 11-1 run.
Liberty scored 30 seconds later with another long shot to the far post to cut the lead to six.
With 27.5 seconds left in the third, Jimenez got the ball on the left in a man-advantage. She sent the ball to Wattenbarger in the middle, who shot to the right for a 13-6 lead into the fourth.
The Coyotes received a five-meter penalty shot 44 seconds into the fourth, and Wattenbarger sent a skip shot to the left for the goal, and a 14-6 lead.
Liberty scored 21 seconds later with a lob shot from the right.
About two minutes later, Oregel came up with a steal. She fed up the pool to Wattenbarger, breaking away. Wattenbarger sent a skip shot to the left for the goal, and a 15-7 lead with 3:28 left.
Liberty scored a man-advantage goal with a soft shot to the right. But, Wattenbarger answered 28 seconds later with a shot to the right from the front for a 16-8 lead.
Liberty scored a pair of goals in the final 1:26 for the 16-10 Madera victory.