The Madera Coyotes girls water polo team let a two-goal fourth quarter lead, and a two-goal overtime lead evaporate in a double-overtime loss to the Chowchilla Tribe in the quarterfinals of the Central Section Div. III playoffs at the McAlister Swim Complex.
The Coyotes led, 7-5, with six minutes left in the match, and the Tribe outscored Madera 3-1 to tie the match with 29.9 seconds left. Madera scored the first two goals over overtime, and, again, Chowchilla outscored Madera 3-1 to force a second overtime. Chowchilla scored the game-tying goal with 19 seconds left.
In the golden goal, double overtime period, Chowchilla took advantage of a man advantage for the winning goal 43 seconds into the overtime to advance.
Of Chowchilla’s 12 goals, five were scored on a man advantage. Five goals were scored with lob shots, and three were scored with long range shots.
Emily Wattenbarger led the Coyotes with six goals. Ari Gill and Giselle Jimenez scored two each, and Aubrey Tatro added a goal.
Both teams kind of worked through the early-game jitters with neither scoring in the first half of the first period.
Gill got the Coyotes on the scoreboard with a long shot from the right side into the upper left corner with 3:13 left in the first period.
Less than 30 seconds later, Chowchilla scored with a lob shot on a mad advantage to tie the match.
Twenty seconds later, Madera got a man advantage. Wattenbarger got the ball on the left, and sent a skip shot inside the near post for a 2-1 lead.
However, Chowchilla got a ball in front, and scored 13 seconds later to tie the score. Chowchilla closed the first period scoring with a lob shot goal with 47.3 seconds left for a 3-2 lead.
Both teams struggled to find the net in the second period. Madera had five shots hit either crossbar or the post in the first half.
Chowchilla got a man advantage, and shot on goal from the left. Madera got a hand on the ball, but it went inside the near post for a 4-2 lead.
Madera came back before the half ended. Crystal Oregel sent a long shot on goal, but it was blocked. Tatro was in front of the net, and sent the rebound past the goalie for the goal with 39.9 seconds left in the half.
Madera tied the score a minute into the second half. Wattenbarger got the ball in the middle, and waited for the right time to shot. She finally shot off the goalie’s arm into the right side to tie the match at four.
More than four minutes went by without a score. Gill got the ball to Jimenez on the left. Jimenez sent a soft floater into the right corner of the goal to give Madera a 5-3 lead.
Chowchilla tied the match 17 seconds later with a man advantage goal.
With 12.6 seconds left in the third, Chowchilla was called for a foul, and Madera was given a five-meter penalty shot. Wattenbarger shot into the upper left corner for the 6-5 lead heading to the fourth.
A minute into the fourth, Madera added to its lead when Jimenez got the ball on the left with a man advantage. She shot inside the far post for the goal, and a 7-5 lead.
Chowchilla scored on a lob shot in the fourth minute to cut the lead to one, and then hit a mid-pool shot to tie the match with 2:54 left in the game.
Twenty-seven seconds later, Madera had a man advantage. Gill’s shot on goal was blocked. But, Wattenbarger got the rebound, and shot into the net for an 8-7 lead.
Chowchilla earned a five-meter penalty shot, and Madera goalie Katie Sanchez made the block going to her right.
However, Chowchilla scored on a mid-pool shot with 29.9 seconds left in the fourth to send the match into overtime.
With a minute left in first half of overtime, Wattenbarger got the ball at mid-pool, and took the ball to the goal. She sent a shot over the goalie for a 9-8 lead.
Sanchez made a block with 37 seconds left in the first half of overtime.
Madera scored on the race to the ball to open the second half of overtime. Jimenez won the swim, and swiped the ball to Oregel on the left. She sent the ball to Wattenbarger in front of the net, who shot into the right corner for a 10-8 lead.
Chowchilla scored 13 seconds later with a lob shot goal. Then, with 1:11 left, Chowchilla tied it with a goal on a man advantage.
Madera got a man advantage with 35.2 seconds left. Gill got the ball in the middle, and sent a shot to the right corner for the goal, and an 11-10 lead.
However, Chowchilla scored from mid-pool with a lob goal with 19.9 seconds left to send the match to golden goal.
Madera won the opening swim, but couldn’t get a shot off. Chowchilla earned a man advantage, and shot from the right inside the near post for the game-winning goal 47 seconds into overtime.