Ceres High’s varsity girls water polo team held on for an 11-10 victory over host Golden Valley during last Wednesday’s non-conference season opener.

The Bulldogs managed to win the game despite being outscored 9-4 in the final 14 minutes.

The Cougars cut a six-goal deficit to one in the fourth period.

“I’m proud of my team,” Ceres High senior standout Camryn Silva said. “I knew we’d pull through at the end.”

“It’s early in the year,” Bulldogs’ head coach Stephen Dias said. “The girls learned a lot from the experience.”

Silva and Emily Wolff led the Bulldogs in scoring with four goals apiece.

Ninweh Gorges collected two goals.

Kassandra Armas had one goal.

Senior goalkeeper Isabel Juarez limited the Cougars to just one goal in the first half.

Juarez didn’t play last year. She competed at the junior-varsity level as a sophomore.

“It was her first time playing a varsity game and she did amazing,” Silva said. 

Ceres High outscored Golden Valley 4-0 in the opening seven minutes en route to building a commanding 7-1 lead in the first half. Silva paced the Bulldogs with four goals, three of which came in the first period. Wolff contributed two goals. Gorges added one goal.

“We came out ready and worked really well together,” Silva said.  “Towards the end, we started getting tired. It’s early in the season.”

Golden Valley outplayed Ceres High after intermission.

“Just because you’re ahead, it doesn’t mean they can’t come back,” Silva said. “You have to keep fighting.”

“They were playing catch-up the whole game,” Dias said. “That’s what saved us.”

The Cougars rallied thanks in large part to their increased aggression.

“They were taking a lot more shots,” Silva said.

Wolff scored what proved to be the winning goal early in the fourth period.

Juarez’s clutch save on a penalty shot with 1:30 left in regulation preserved the victory.

“That would have sent the game into overtime,” Dias said. 

The Bulldogs will open Western Athletic Conference play next week in Modesto.

Beyer will host Ceres High on Sept. 11.

The Patriots moved from the Modesto Metro Conference to the WAC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan.

“They’re a new team in our league,” Silva said. “We’ll do fine. We just got to work hard and play together.”

Cougars 7, Bulldogs 4

Ceres High’s youth-laden varsity boys water polo team dropped its opener, 7-4, to Golden Valley on Wednesday.

“We need to work on all aspects of the game before our first league match,” head coach Bill Campbell said. 

Campbell relied on all 11 of his players during last week’s non-conference contest.

“We used it as training for the boys,” he said. 

Freshman goalkeeper Jeremy Kier performed like a veteran with a 22-save effort in defeat.

Elliott Lewis led the Bulldogs in scoring with two goals.

Kenneth Arroyo and Mackay Cannella both had one goal.

Ceres High and Golden Valley battled to a 2-2 tie in the first quarter. Arroyo and Lewis accounted for both of the Bulldogs’ goals.

Ceres High outscored Golden Valley 5-2 the rest of the way.

“A lot of the kids didn’t realize how much stamina it takes to swim for 28 minutes until today,” Campbell said “They were tired. We have to improve our conditioning.”