Flynn flourishes for Foothill polo

“It was a little bit dicey in here at the beginning of the season,” said Foothill head coach Trisha Quan. “She was coming off a pretty severe knee injury, but her work ethic allowed her to be in the pool (at the start of the season).”

But four months after surgery, Flynn was back in the pool for the Owls and by the end of the season, it was apparent she had made the right decision to keep playing. She started all 19 games for Foothill this season, helping lead them to the Coast Conference North title with an 8-2 mark as she went on to finish with an overall record of 12-7. Her 263 saves were the most in the conference and tied for 10th-best in the state, while her save percentage of 66.8 was the tops in California among full-time starters.

During one four-game stretch in October, Flynn was nearly unbeatable as she allowed a combined eight goals in four straight wins — and only three goals after giving up five in a 14-5 win over Ohlone.

Quan said there were two games, in particular, that stood out to her and the two she ranked as Flynn’s best of the season. The first came against a West Valley team that would go on to win the Coast Conference South crown with a perfect 11-0 record and would finish the season 25-7. The Vikings won the match, 11-4, but Flynn finished with 21 saves.

“She single-handedly kept us in the game,” Quan said.

In Foothill’s loss to San Joaquin Delta in the first round of the Northern California tournament, Flynn made 17 saves in an 11-9 loss. Three weeks earlier, Delta had dropped a 14-3 pounding on the Owls. Flynn had 14 saves in that match.

It was that kind of dominance that led Flynn to be named Coast Conference South Player of the Year, as well as first-team All-Coast Conference.

And the awards kept coming in for Flynn. She was also named to the first team Nor Cal tournament team and was also a Nor Cal All-American.

“I really wasn’t expecting (the accolades). My season, for me, was for my own growth. … I wasn’t expecting any awards. I was just trying to do my best every game,” Flynn said. “The conference MVP, it’s really hard for goalies to get that award. It was definitely a shock.”

Quan can thank the randomness of the universe for dropping Flynn into her cage at Foothill. The coach said she was talking with Flynn last month and asked her why Flynn chose to play for the Owls.

“A coin flip,” Quan said Flynn told her. “I said, ‘I want that coin.’ It’s the luckiest coin ever.”

And Flynn wasn’t just using a euphemism. She literally picked up a coin and flipped it.

“I picked up a penny, ‘This side is going to be Foothill. This side is going to be Cal Lu (California Lutheran University),’” Flynn said. “Foothill was heads.”

Quan believes with Flynn’s work ethic and talent, she can definitely play at the four-year level.

“With how hard she works and with the foundation she has already, it’s just a matter of getting out there and talking with coaches,” Quan said.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 650-344-5200 ext. 117.