Hamlet Nalbandyan
SAN MARINO -- Sally Belderian is the backbone of the Hoover High
girls' water polo team. Unfortunately for Coach Gene Kranz, she can't
play more than one position at a time.
Belderian did her job as the goalie, but the rest of the Tornadoes had
trouble and fell, 8-2, at San Marino High in a nonleague match Friday.
Belderian made 13 saves and also scored a goal for the Tornadoes
(2-5). The senior played as a field player the final minute of the game
and created a rare Hoover scoring opportunity.
Hoover had just four shots on goal, but with Belderian in, the
Tornadoes got a good look and forced the Titans to commit a four-meter
foul.
Belderian took the penalty shot and scored, but the Tornadoes needed
many more opportunities like that and just didn't have the personnel to
get them.
"Sally's our best player, but unfortunately she can't play two
positions at the same time. We need her to be our goalie, because that's
the only way we can be in games," Kranz said.
"She brings a lot to this team. She's our leader emotionally and
physically."
The Tornadoes could never get into a consistent offensive flow, and
San Marino (2-2) took advantage.
The Titans led 3-0 after the first quarter and 6-0 at the half. But
Kranz switched from a press defense to a zone defense in the second half,
and that slowed down San Marino's attack.
The Hoover defense forced San Marino to take shots from long distance
and Belderian made the stops easily.
But even with a good defensive game, the Tornadoes could never get
rolling on offense. Hoover scored on its first possession in the second
half as Harriet Akopian scored, but the Tornadoes didn't get another shot
on goal until the final minutes of the game.
"We've got a really young team, so we're just getting into our flow,"
said Kranz, who has just two seniors on his squad.
"We've been practicing for three and a half weeks and we're just
learning the basics of the game. The girls have come a long way and
they'll continue to get better."
The two Hoover victories this year have come against Montclair High
and Palm Desert High.
The Tornadoes next play in the Ayala/Chino Tournament, starting
Thursday. Hoover will then open up Pacific League play against Crescenta
Valley High, Jan. 5, at home at 3:15 p.m.
