The Riverside Press-Enterprise
STEPPING UP
Alta Loma tops Sunny Hills for Division 2 championship a year after claiming the Division 4 title
WALNUT >> Alta Loma water polo coach Kristin Rodriguez watched her boys program struggle to win CIF Southern Section playoff matches after a 2021 section championship caused the Braves to move up two divisions.
The Alta Loma girls program also jumped up two divisions after capturing a Division 4 title last year, and the Braves found themselves right back in the winner’s circle this season.
Sophomore Carly Berzins scored six goals as Alta Loma grabbed a sizable lead in the opening half and held on for an 11-8 victory over Sunny Hills in the Division 2 title match Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.
“It’s been phenomenal to watch them step up and continue to play well in a higher division,” Rodriguez said. “We knew it was going to be a big challenge, so we upped our schedule to prepare ourselves. We played Open Division teams and Division 1 teams, which made us a stronger team. I warned them, but they said they were ready. I’m just so proud of them.”
Berzins had an opportunity to give Alta Loma the lead in the opening minute of the match, but her 5-meter penalty shot was blocked by Sunny Hills goalkeeper Sienna Bertsch.
Sunny Hills jumped on the scoreboard first, when Hannah Reekstin fired from 8 meters out, the first of her four goals in Saturday’s match.
Alta Loma (21-9) roared back, scoring the next five goals to surge ahead. Payton White leveled the score on a lob shot, and Berzins then recorded a natural hat trick with three straight goals to give the Braves a 4-1 lead after the first period. Mollie Kochel’s goal extended the lead to 5-1 in the second.
Berzins said the missed penalty shot really fueled her for the remainder of the match.
“It was frustrating to miss that penalty shot, but I just had to put that out of my mind and move past it,” said Berzins, who scored four goals in the Division 4 title match last season.
WATERPOLO