By Pete Borello
 courtesy of the Tringali family The Los Altos High girls water polo team, all smiles after a recent tournament, had even more to smile about after beating Palo Alto last week. The Eagles clinched at least a share of the division title. |
A game the Los Altos High girls water polo team had been anxious to play since August proved worth the wait.
Los Altos edged Palo Alto 6-5 in overtime Oct. 25 to snare at least a share of the SCVAL De Anza Division title for the first time this decade.
“This is great for the girls,” Eagles coach Travis Wyckoff said. “It’s something they were shooting for at the beginning of season, and the way they did it was tremendous.”
After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, Los Altos watched defending champ Paly score the next five goals. The Eagles responded with three straight, with Meghan Powers capping the run with about a minute left to force overtime.
“Their resiliency was amazing,” Wyckoff said. “It was an amazing comeback.”
Los Altos completed the comeback with just under a minute remaining in the first of the two 3-minute overtime periods. Taking advantage of a power play, Alix Kaufman scored the game-winning goal.
No Eagle scored more than a goal, with Lauren Wyckoff, Veronica Tse, Rachel Levin and Allegra Tringali adding one each. Cassandra Wyckoff, the coach’s other daughter, recorded three saves in goal.
“It was a big win,” said coach Wyckoff, whose team improved to 6-0 in the division and a game ahead of Paly, which has dominated the league in recent years.
With only the league tournament remaining, the Eagles will finish the regular season no worse than division co-champs. Los Altos (17-7 overall) can avoid sharing the crown by winning the league tourney, running Thursday through Saturday at Paly.
Playing in her last league home game, Los Altos resident Kim Krueger led Menlo School to an 18-4 rout of rival Menlo-Atherton Oct. 25. She scored a game-high six goals, plus had an assist and a steal.
Krueger is among four senior starters on playoff-bound Menlo.
“As their coach I am very proud of these four seniors,” coach Jenny Booth said. “They lead the Menlo Knights both in and out of the pool. Their passion for the game is infectious, and their presence will remain on the Menlo deck forever.”
Volleyball
Los Altos, 7-3 in league and 13-9 overall, received a team-high 16 kills from Christan Schaefer in last week’s loss.
The Eagles host Homestead at 6:45 p.m. Thursday in the league finale for both teams.
Mountain View slumped to 0-10 in the De Anza Division after a straight-game loss at Saratoga Oct. 25. The Spartans fell 25-18, 25-19, 25-6.
Pinewood defeated host Fremont Christian in straight games Oct. 24 to remain in second place in the Private Schools Athletic League at 5-2. The Panthers won 25-18, 25-22, 25-21.
Pinewood’s leaders included Sam Andreacchi in kills (7), Helena Borland-Zych in blocks (8), Whitney Vellequette in aces (7) and Sammie Cardenas in assists (11).
The Panthers (8-13 overall) close out league play at 5 p.m. Friday against visiting King’s Academy.
St. Francis topped Notre Dame-Belmont 19-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19 Oct. 24 in West Catholic Athletic League play. The host Lancers improved to 4-3 in league, 27-5 overall. Lexi Aiassa (10 kills) and Emily Ettel (22 assists) paced St. Francis.
Field hockey
Jaclyn Radford and Perrine Schaller scored for the Eagles, assisted by Sarah Nolet and Sarah Lytle, respectively.
Los Altos visits Presentation at 2:45 p.m. Thursday.
