Font ResizeMonte Vista High's girls water polo team made it 4-for-4 on Saturday, and Mustangs senior Kelly Mendoza couldn't have been any happier about it.
The Mustangs notched a record fourth consecutive North Coast Section title with an 8-5 victory over Campolindo in bright sunshine at Miramonte.
"I can't even explain it in words. It's crazy." an emotional Mendoza said after sharing a hug with junior teammate and fellow All-American Maggie Steffens. "Not a lot of this happens in people's lives."
Steffens and the Cal-bound Mendoza combined for seven goals and five assists, and acrobatic sophomore goalie Rachel Mitchell made eight saves.
Mitchell stopped Campolindo from gaining any momentum through three quarters as the Mustangs were raging to a 7-2 lead.
"Wow," Mendoza said of her goalie. "Rachel is one of a kind. She's crazy. She's only a sophomore, and she's one of the most amazing goalies I have ever seen in my life."
Campolindo, in its first section final since 2002, showed its resilience by scoring the last three goals of the match, on strikes by Emily McPhee, Lizzie Peiros and Maddy Smith, to add a little drama. The Cougars were thrilled to advance past the NCS semifinals after bowing out in that maddening round five of the last six years.
Monte Vista has won six of the last seven NCS titles. Mustangs coach Scott Getty said his team played its best game of the season on Saturday.
The Cougars lost just 6-4 to
"The one thing they have that we don't is experience in this game, and I think the jitters sort of got the best of us," said Campolindo coach Kim Everist.
