El Capitan girls water polo team looking to leave legacy

The El Capitan High senior water polo players want to leave behind a legacy as they prepare to play their final game wearing a Gauchos cap.

A section championship to go along with three league titles certainly would do the trick.

The top-seeded Gauchos (22-7) can bring home the school’s first blue banner today when they travel to the Roseville Aquatics Complex to face No. 3 Del Oro (9-13) for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m.

“This would do it,” said Gauchos coach Kristie Dunham. “We’ve talked about it a lot, about leaving a legacy. To have your first four-year girls go through the program and potentially win a section championship, that leaves a legacy of success.”

El Capitan comes into the title game feeling confident.

The Gauchos played one of their best games of the season in the semifinals with a 12-5 win over Lodi. El Capitan missed just four shots and scored on six-of-eight man-up situations.

The Gauchos defeated Del Oro 14-9 at the Western States Tournament in Modesto on Oct. 14. El Capitan built a double-digit goal lead before Dunham began taking out her starters.

The Golden Eagles advanced to the title game by knocking off No. 2 Oakmont (Roseville) 12-3 in Wednesday’s other semifinal matchup.

“We played them at Western States but any time you play a section playoff team, they have the ability to play up,” Dunham said. “We know they have a good player in (Kiara Green). We’re going to have to look out for her and cover her.

“We just have to continue to focus and play our game. We need to counter attack specifically. We feel we’re the faster team.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 5:42 PM with the headline "El Capitan girls water polo team looking to leave legacy."