Boys water polo: Work pays off for Marin Academy in NCS championship

Marin Academy just won its second North Coast Section boys water polo crown in program history. The Wildcats say they can do better.

No. 3 Marin Academy (17-9) is heading to the NorCal championships after holding off top-seeded Cardinal Newman, 9-8, in Saturday’s NCS Division II championship.

“We did a really good job of committing from Day One and working every day to improve and to get better, not dramatically every day, but to get better one day at a time,” Marin Academy head coach Joe Doyle said. “We started with the goal of coming out every day at practice and every game, and just to be a little better than we were the day before.”

Marin Academy was better on Saturday, ending a string of postseason frustration. The Wildcats lost in the semifinals to eventual NCS champion Piedmont last season, and lost in the title game each of the previous two seasons.

“We’re excited. This is kind of like playing with house money,” Doyle said. “We’re going to go back to the drawing board, watch film, and find ways to get better.”

The Wildcats, in their only other NorCal appearance in 2017, lost to Garces Memorial, 11-8, in the first round.

“Last time, we didn’t win a single game. I want to change that,” said senior Matthieu Giauque, who scored a team-high four goals Saturday.

Jack Buchanan and Justin Tachiki each scored two goals for the Wildcats. MA also got a goal from Noah Hirson, who’s been playing with a broken finger during the playoffs.

“Noah is a hero,” Giauque said. “To play through that amount of pain and to do the things he does is incredible. He makes such a huge impact on this team.”

A pair of goals from Giauque to open the Wildcats scoring, followed by goals Buchanan and Hirson gave Marin Academy a 4-1 lead in the first period, and the Wildcats never trailed.

Cardinal Newman (22-8) has earned a reputation for grinding out wins after rallying to win on a golden goal over Washington in the semifinals. The Cardinals then pushed Marin Academy all day Saturday.

Cardinals junior Ian Beranek scored the second of his three goals just before halftime to make it a one-goal game.

“It was nice to get a little lead, but we got a little stagnant in the second quarter,” Doyle said.

The Wildcats scored twice in the third period to get some breathing room, but still couldn’t relax.

Even leading 9-5 in the fourth period, the Wildcats couldn’t let off the gas. Cardinal Newman rattled off three unanswered goals, the last with 17 seconds left to play.

MA goalkeeper Lachlan Baldouf, who had 12 saves, shut down the Cardinals in the waning seconds to preserve the win.

“All season, guys have stepped up just like today,” Giauque said. “The guys have worked hard for this moment. It’s a team effort.”