Agoura water polo squad battles Santa Barbara to the end

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SHARPSHOOTERS—Above, Agoura’s Alex Thompson puts everything he’s got into a shot against Santa Barbara Tuesday afternoon. Below, Brian Gross looks for an open teammate near the Dons’ goal during the Chargers’ 10-8 quarterfinal loss. In the sports world, everybody wants a shot at the end.

No matter what transpires between the game’s opening whistle and the start of the final frame, the least any trailing team can hope for is one final opportunity to dictate the outcome of a contest—one more chance to grab destiny by the hand.

Though dealt a heartbreaking 10-8 defeat to Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals of the Div. IV playoffs, the Agoura boys’ water polo team and its seven seniors went home Tuesday knowing they had give themselves a shot against a favored opponent, a fact that they and their fans could be proud of.

“I was so proud of the way they hung in there,” said head coach Dustin Litvak. “They never gave up. Even down three goals with less than five minutes to play they just kept on fighting. We gave ourselves a chance to win, it just didn’t work out that way for us.”

After senior Danny Polyakov assisted junior Justin Kovanis on a goal with 3:46 remaining in the fourth period, it looked as if Agoura might have the momentum to make a last-second push and pull off the upset of the No. 2 seeded Gauchos—a team that had defeated Agoura 13-6 earlier in the season.

But four consecutive opportunities at the net were turned away by the Santa Barbara defense and goalie Tyler McManigal, a series that was equal parts thrilling and frustrating for the vocal Chargers’ home crowd.

“The kids played their hearts out right up until the end,” Litvak said. “Their goalie just had a great game.”

The contest was back and forth throughout as neither team gained any more than a two-goal advantage until the final seconds of the third period, when the Gauchos went ahead, 9-6. Agoura actually held early leads at 2-1 and 3-2, but suffered throughout the match from an inability to follow up scores with defensive stops.

It seemed that no sooner had the fans finished cheering for a Charger goal than Santa Barbara would turn around and add a score of their own.

“We couldn’t get any momentum going. Every time we scored, we gave up a goal on the other end,” said Litvak, whose team finished 21-6 in the regular season and 10-2 in the Marmonte League. “That killed the flow of the game for us.”

In defeat, the Charger seniors showed why they will be remembered as one of the best groups to pass through AHS. Two-meter Brian Gross led the way with a team-high four goals in a spirited effort while fellow seniors Nike Rimmele, Cameron Milani and Polyakov each added a goal apiece.

Graduating a fine senior class is never easy on a coach, but losing this collection of upperclassmen is especially tough, Litvak said.

“These seniors are the reason I came back to the program,” said Litvak, who took a hiatus from the team in 2001 before returning in 2002 to be the head coach. “Not only do they have so much talent, but they have the personality. They have been the heart and soul of this team for the last couple years and although the team is going to be strong next year, the personality of the team is going to change.

“This is the tightest-knit team I’ve ever been around in water polo,” said Litvak, who played in college at Pepperdine University.

Next year, look for the Chargers to contend once again for a Marmonte League crown as they return such players as Alex Thompson, goalie Ryan Paris, Kovanis and highlytouted transfer, Peter Kurzeka.