Lodi girls beat Tokay, both advance to the playoffs
Lodi girls water polo player Elisa Grim kept putting pressure on Tokay’s Hannah Ortiz at the perimeter.
But Jackie Westerterp was the one who applied the heat for the Flames against Tokay in Tuesday’s Tri-City Athletic League and cross-town finale at Tokay’s swimming pool on Tuesday. That led to Lodi splitting its second meeting with the Tigers with a 7-6 win.
Now with Lodi and Tokay’s regular season is complete, the focus shifts toward the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. Tokay and Lodi, along with Lincoln, finished in a three-way tie for second place at 6-4 behind league champion St. Mary’s. The Rams knocked off Lincoln in their meeting on Tuesday.
Based on goal differential, Lodi and Tokay advance to the playoffs. The top three TCAL teams advance into post-season. According to Tokay High Athletic Director Michael Holst, a coin flip will determine the No. 2 and 3 seeds between Lodi and Tokay. Holst said that an email among the league’s six athletic directors at Tokay, Lodi, Lincoln, St. Mary’s, Tracy and West would confirm the bylaw of the coin flip before it takes place.
Toward the end of the second period, with Tokay leading 2-1, the Flames’ offense of Grim, Kate Baltzer, Westerterp, Nicole Coon and Melissa Celli moved the ball around the perimeter of the pool. Moving up closer to the Tigers’ goal in the center of the pool, Westerterp fired the ball into the center of the net to give Lodi a 3-2 lead.
“She played well,” said Lodi coach Robert Elrod of Westerterp, “The goalies, the centers, they go after the side. We just feed them this information on all of the different scenarios they have to process in a split-second that they touched the ball. For her to be able to make that decision shows the type of player is, and the type of dedication that she’s put in.”
Then with 2:20 left in the period, the ball moved its way back into the hands of Westerterp, who was also back in the center-forward spot. Taking aim, she fired the ball that this time landed into the corner of the net that gave the Flames a 3-2 lead.
“She had a very good game,” said Tokay coach Courtney Porter of Westerterp. “We ran into some foul trouble early, which we had hurt us. Lodi played very good defense.”
To start the third period, Tokay center Nicole Iturraran tied the game at 3-3 with a middle shot. Both teams exchanged goals through the period, as
Grim and Tokay’s Sydney Stewart had a goal each to make it 4-4.
But Lodi took the lead for good with 1:17 left in the period. Westerterp scored on another open shot in the middle. To start the final period, Westerterp delivered again with another goal and a 6-4 lead.
Tokay’s Lizzy Macfarlane had two goals toward the end of the period that trimmed the Flames’ lead to 7-6. As the final 16 seconds ticked off the game clock, Ortiz looked for an open Tokay teammate to pass the ball and move it closer to the Flames’ cage. But Grim’s constant pressure on Ortiz kept the ball in play but out of a Tigers’ hands, leading to the Flames’ win.
Westerterp had six of the Flames’ goals. Grim had the other shot in the net.
Macfarlane had four goals for the Tigers. Iturraran and Jessica Cunningham had a goal each.
Lodi 17, Tokay 8
In the first 14 minutes of the boys’ contest, Lodi (7-3 in the TCAL, 15-13), which is tied for second place in league with Lincoln behind league champion St. Mary’s, held a 5-3 advantage.
But the Flames’ offense started the third period with a barrage of goals from Benton Peterson, Jack LeBaron, Victor Plunkett and Alexander Elrod. That led to an 8-3 advantage.
“We did want to play aggressive,” said Lodi coach Trevor Taylor. “We had the kind of strategy that we’ve been working on.”
Tokay (4-6 in the TCAL, 813) was able to move the ball to the perimeter, with Collin Berninger getting a goal to make it 9-4. But the Flames continued to dominate the center of the pool behind Peterson and LeBaron that led to an 11-4 lead going into the final period.
“We have two big guys that can play center,” said Taylor of Peterson and LeBaron.
Tokay coach Chris Boss is pleased with his team’s progress this season. In particular for the five seniors in Berninger, Nicholas Hermansen, Connor Means, Hunter Mayo, Julio Murguia and foreign exchange student Balazs Bendeguz, from Slovakia. Last year’s squad went 010 in the TCAL.
“The guys never gave up,” Boss said. “They just learned all the way throughout (the season). You could see a whole change in the guys at the end of the season.”