The Marin Catholic girls water polo team has come agonizingly close to winning a section title in recent years, so when James Logan rallied to tie the game entering the fourth quarter, the seniors were not about to let their last chance slip away.
Anya Jaroszewski, Emma Slaught, and Katie Lyons — all seniors — scored critical goals in the final period as No. 2 MC held on for an 8-6 victory against James Logan in the Division II championship at Campolindo High in Moraga on Saturday.
“We were up by three and we let them tie it up going into the fourth quarter,” MC coach Sophie Doyle said. “I had a talk with my seniors. In 2021, their freshman year, we lost in sudden death to Carondelet in the championship game. In 2022, we lost to Northgate by one goal in regulation. In 2023, their junior year, we got knocked out by (Marin Academy) in the semifinals. We lost that game by one.
“My seniors rallied big in the fourth quarter and they were not going to allow us to lose another championship game and we finished it with a win.”
Jaroszewski and Slaught scored two goals apiece for MC, which had last won a section title back in 1999. The Wildcats also clinched an automatic berth in next week’s NorCal playoffs.
“(The players) are super pumped,” Doyle said. “In 1999, the NorCal tournament didn’t exist so this is the first Marin Catholic team to earn a bid to the NorCal tournament, so they’re all super pumped and super fired up.”
The No. 2 Wildcats (17-9) secured the upset victory against the top-seeded Colts (20-10) with additional goals by Malia Slaught, Lucia Lind, and Amelia Kiriakis. Goalie Kiki Jaroszewski had 10 saves for MC.
“It’s a big group of seniors who have been in that situation before and we’ve been on the other side of it,” Doyle said. Our seniors collectively weren’t going to let that happen again. They rallied, they stepped up, and they played great. They’re all great kids. … It’s nice to bring a title back after 25 years.”
Saturday proved to be a pretty great day for the Doyle household as Sophie’s husband, Joe, also won an NCS D-II championship on Saturday with the Marin Academy boys water polo team.
