Dons beat 12th-seeded Bulldogs in water polo playoff opener

Ramona High School’s girls water polo team ended its 2009-10 season with a 15-2 loss to Cathedral Catholic in the first round of the CIF Division II playoffs Feb. 18 at the Jewish Community Center in La Jolla.

“The girls played hard,” Ramona coach Donnie Williams said of his team. “They just didn’t match up as well.”

During the CIF playoff selection and seeding meeting Feb. 15, the Bulldogs were given the 12th seed among the 16 Division II teams admitted into the post-season.

“It was still pretty good for what we had for the season. I thought it was a good seed for us,” Williams said.

Ramona entered the playoffs with a 15-14 overall regular-season record, including a 7-5 record in Valley League competition which was worth third place in the league standings.

Cathedral was seeded fifth.

“We knew they were going to be fast,” Williams said. “We tried to slow down the offense.”

The Bulldogs trailed 4-1 after the first quarter. Ramona senior Taylor Shinnick scored her final high school goal in the period with an assist from Emily Rajcic. The Dons increased their lead to 8-1 by halftime.

“It was almost all counterattacks,” Williams said of the Cathedral scoring. “We just didn’t handle their speed.”

Ramona’s second goal came in the fourth quarter when senior Shelby Wilson scored following a pass from Angelina Uriostegui.

“We had a couple of opportunities,” Williams said.

Some of those were kept from fruition by the Dons’ goalkeeper.

“Their goalie was really good,” Williams said. “We put a couple of quality outside shots on her.”

Shinnick was the only returning starter from the 2008-09 team.

“For what we had and what we started with, it was a great season,” Williams said.

“I think they’ve worked hard to go from where they were,” Williams said. “They should be happy with what they’ve accomplished.”