Gallery • 8 Photos

Sophomore Jakob Engberg makes an entry pass over his defender's head in the second quarter of the MCAL championship game.

With senior captain Sawyer Goldberg ejected in the second quarter, boys’ varsity water polo faced an uphill battle to win the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) championship over the Archie Williams Falcons. After racking up three penalties early on, Redwood was left without one of their key contributors.
The Falcons took advantage of Goldberg’s absence, peppering the goal and finding capitalizing opportunities. However, junior goalie Owen Malone stood his ground, saving seven shots in the first half. Offensively, the Giants were set on feeding senior captain Ossie Joplin in the whole set, as he scored two goals in the first half.
Entering the third quarter, Redwood led 6-5, but penalties threatened this lead. Archie Williams took advantage of multiple six-on-five mismatches, finding their extra player for an open shot on goal. The Falcons’ shots finally started hitting the back of the net, with three goals in the third quarter. Another Joplin goal kept the score at 8-7, but momentum had clearly shifted towards Archie Williams.
This drive continued into the fourth quarter; the Falcons scored on their first possession, intercepted a pass and then immediately scored again, giving them a three-goal lead. Junior Charlie Poser did his best to keep the Giants in the game, blocking a shot and then drawing a five-meter penalty, which Joplin converted into a goal. However, his efforts were not enough, as Archie Williams drained the clock, winning the MCAL Championship 11-8. Redwood still sits at 23-3, ranked 21 in the country and 15 in California. The Giants will face Alameda in the first round of the North Coast Section playoffs on Thursday at 7:30 pm.