Terra Nova girls' water polo improves to 10-0 in PAL Ocean Division play

“You never know (how you’ll do),” Potter said. “I knew this was a special group.”

But following a 14-10 win over third-place Hillsdale to up their record to 10-0 in PAL Ocean Division play with four games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers say they might as well go for it.

“After this game, we look at [an undefeated Ocean Division season] as a big possibility,” said Terra Nova senior co-captain Ayva Mould, who scored five goals and assisted on two others.

“[Hillsdale] is our biggest competition,” said senior co-captain Serawit Ezra.

The win gives Terra Nova (10-0 PAL Ocean) the season sweep of Hillsdale (6-3), beating the Knights 15-10 Sept. 13.

In that game, Terra Nova hole set Malia Smith feasted on the Knights, scoring six of her team’s 15 goals.

Hillsdale was determined not to allow a repeat and the Knights succeeded. Using a double team nearly every time she touched the ball, Smith had difficulty finding the range. When she did manage to find some space in the second half, she was denied by the Hillsdale defense.

But that is what makes this season’s Terra Nova squad so tough. The Tigers have more than one option on offense. Sonny Guilbadouline had the biggest game of her life as she scorched the Knights to the tune of a game-high seven goals.

“Today, our girl Sonny scored seven goals. She never does that,” Potter said.

And as far as Smith being held goalless for the Tigers, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t doing her job.

“Even though she’s not scoring a lot, she is still holding down that position,” Potter said.

Terra Nova was playing its second game in as many days and the Knights came out determined to reverse the score from the last meeting. Entering the match with two losses in Ocean play, the Knights needed a win to have any real chance at contending for the division title.

And while the Knights didn’t manage a lot of shots in the opening period, they made their limited opportunities count as they scored three goals on three shots.

Hillsdale opened the scoring on a Natasha Patel goal from the left post less than a minute into the match, but Mould responded less than a minute later when her shot from mid-pool found the back of the net.

Terra Nova took a 2-1 lead on Guilbadouline’s first goal of the game, but Hillsdale tied it on the first of two Amanda Jarrett strikes from her 2-meter spot.

Ezra gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead, but Hillsdale’s Jilian Christian’s goal from the left wing extended with a second left on the clock to tie the score at 3-all after one period.

Buoyed by a strong first quarter, the Knights came out firing in the second quarter, taking a 4-3 lead on a Jarrett 5-meter penalty shot. Patel’s second goal of the game put the Knights up 5-4, when she took a cross-pool pass at the right post and buried her shot.

But the Tigers responded with three unanswered goals to take control. Leading 7-5, Terra Nova closed the half with a huge block of Jarrett by Tigers goaltender Kiana Meyer.

Terra Nova continued to pull away in the third period, getting a pair of goals from Guilbadouline with Mould tacking on a third to open the second half and extend the Tigers’ run to 6-0 to give them a 10-5 lead with five minutes left to play in the third.

Hillsdale outscored the Tigers 3-2 the rest of the way to trail 12-8 after three. But when the Knights scored the first goals of the fourth quarter, they were in the game, down 12-10.

They would get no closer as Guilbadouline and Mould scored down the stretch for Terra Nova for the final margin of victory.

“This season, I’ve never been so happy with a team,” Mould said.