Girls water polo: Archie Williams emerges unbeaten in MCAL

Wednesday’s showdown between the league’s only two undefeated teams started with all the fire and intensity one would expect from such a title bout. Archie Williams pulled away, scoring six unanswered goals in the first half to secure their dominance over Marin Academy and the rest of the MCAL.

“We’ve been through this before, so we had an idea what we were getting into,” Archie Williams head coach Todd Duplanty said. “Fortunately, we came out the other side with a win.”

The Peregrine Falcons’ 12-4 victory over Marin Academy locks up the No. 1 seed for Archie Williams in the MCAL playoffs, and a first-round date, likely with Redwood. The seeding for the two other playoff teams, Redwood and Marin Catholic, will be finalized by Friday.

“The pressure is higher because we are finding ourselves in more high-pressure games. That’s because we’re doing better,” Marin Academy co-coach Jamie Collie said. “This is only the second time we were undefeated this late in the season. This is only the second time we’ve made the MCAL playoffs. We are finding ourselves in new pressure situations, because we are finding new opportunities for greater success.”

Marin Academy, the No. 2 seed for the MCAL playoffs, will likely face No. 3 Marin Catholic in next Wednesday’s first round.

“Marin Catholic is a tough team,” Collie said. “We have to focus on the next game before we can think about anything else.”

The players stared across the pool at their teammates from the club season, and had to put friendships aside, as the Wildcats and Peregrine Falcons battled for supremacy. Marin Academy took control right away and Cece Dickinson stepped up to score the game’s opening goal 34 seconds into the contest with a shot to the upper left corner of the net.

Immediately, Archie Williams drove deep into the Wildcats’ zone and drew a foul for a penalty shot, but Wildcats goalkeeper Caroline Starrett came up tall for the block. During a whistle-filled scramble for the loose ball, the Peregrine Falcons Loretta Hovey and the Wildcats’ Gabby Reichley were both ejected.

With leading scorers on both sides in foul trouble early, it was time for the rest of the cast to step up.

Archie Williams’ depth showed as Falcons stalwart Avery Hinkelman scored a game-high four goals Wednesday, followed by three from Holly Hovey, who started the season on the junior varsity team. Senior Loretta Hovey scored twice, with both goals coming in the first half. Ingrid Wahlstrom added a goal, while Cate Logan and Sylvie Fine each scored in the fourth period.

“Holly Hovey plays with a spark and she’s brought that spark every game,” Duplanty said. “It’s great to be able to put her in the game with Loretta. It’s fun to watch them together.”

Dickinson, Kelly Kurtzig, Hannah Reichley and Gabby Reichley each scored a goal for the Wildcats.

Hinkelman drove her opening shot through traffic to tie the game with 4:53 left in the first period. Loretta Hovey earned a penalty shot 2 minutes later. Starrett got her hands on the ball, but couldn’t hold on as it slipped into the back of the net for a 2-1 Falcons lead.

Kurtzig tied the score with a shot that bounced off the near post and the crossbar before it landed in the back of the net. She nearly gave Marin Academy the lead a minute later with a 3-meter shot that was waved off.

That left the door open for Hinkelman to take the ball in the opposite zone for a shot right in front of the goal that she set in the corner for a 3-2 lead after 7 minutes.

Archie Williams took control in the second period as Hinkelman scored back-to-back goals, followed by scores from Holly and Loretta Hovey, and Wahlstrom for a 8-2 halftime lead.

Marin Academy again looked strong at the start of the second half, but passed up too many quality shots in favor of an extra pass that all too often resulted in a turnover. Eager to fuel their attack, the Wildcats sent Starrett into the thick of the action. That plan failed as the Falcons regained the ball and drove toward an empty net. Starrett got back in time to challenge Holly Hovey, but the ball still landed in the net as the Falcons took a 9-3 lead after three periods.

Archie Williams capped the game with a 3-1 flurry, and both teams began looking toward next week’s playoffs.

“They put us in a hard spot,” Collie said. “Archie Williams is a good team. But I’m proud of our girls. They continued to fight even as the gap grew wider.”