In the seventh round of games in Spanish Women’s League, there were two important matchups between teams at the top of the standings.
The only two unbeaten teams going into this weekend met, as Sabadell bossed Mediterrani 18-8, confirming that Sabadell continue to be the in-form side in Spain.
Meanwhile, things went from bad to worse for Terrassa this month; their exit from the Champions League last week was compounded by a 8-7 defeat to the impressive Sant Andreu – who look like they could be on their way to returning to the top-four of Spanish water polo.
Elsewhere, Mataro outclassed Echeyde in Santa Cruz, 17-4; CNAB edged out Zaragoza 10-6; and Rubi secured a deserved home victory over Feliu (13-7).
CN Sant Andreu 8 – 7 CN Terrassa (1-3, 2-2, 3-0, 2-2)
Sant Andreu: A. Lorca, H. Ballesty, N. Perez 3, Q. Boixadera, G. La Farre Colominas 3, H. Shabb, M. Cordobes 1, E. Lemay-Lavoie, I. Martinez, T. Prentice, M. Palacio, A. Ruiz 1, M. Terre
Terrassa: S. Domene Perez, M. Martinez, K. Paul. N. Morillo, C. Cantero, D. Quinzada, N. Ten Broek 2, P. Pena 1, D. Menakerman, P. Camus 1, A. Finestra, F. Bosveld 3, E. Monllor
A crucial victory over Terrassa was won by Sant Andreu, who prevailed by a single point (8-7).
Andreu, led by Gisel La Farre Colominas and Noelia Perez, a former player for Terrassa, rallied in the third quarter to win the match between the two teams in the race for a play-off spot.
After Fleurien Bosveld scored twice in the first to put Terrassa ahead 3-1, the visitors added two more goals on the strength of efforts from Nina Ten Broek and Paula Camus.
In the crucial third period, Colominas, Perez, and Ariadna Ruiz scored for Javier Fernandez’s team, Andreu, to give them a 6-5 lead. Colominas and Marina Cordobes scored early goals in the final period to ensure victory.
This defeat only adds to Xavi Perez’s woes after he saw his team fail to progress into the next round of the Champions League last week. Pressure is mounting for Terrassa, who find themselves down in 7th – their next game against Tenerife Echeyde could be season-defining in terms of securing a top-4 berth.
Sant Andreu has an important run of games coming up too. They face Mediterrani, Tenerife Echeyde and Rubi before Christmas. Two out of three victories in those games would put them in a very good position going into the second half of the season.
CE Mediterrani 8 – 18 Astralpool Sabadell (1-4, 3-6, 0-4, 4-4)
Mediterrani: I. Costa, A. Munoz 1, A. Crevier 2, A. Marcos 1, V. Bakoc, C. Rodriguez 1, L. Marsinach, D. Moreno, M. Viladot, H. Dalmases, P. Crespi 3, S. Lizotte, O. Esteras Gonzalez
Sabadell: L. Ester, M. Ortiz 2, P. Leiton 1, S. Van der Sloot 1, M. Serrano 1, I. Casado, E. Ruiz 3, M. Garcia 3, J. Forca 2, B. Ortiz 2, N. Perez 1, I. Gonzalez 2, M. Carrasco
Mediterrani have suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the reigning champions, Sabadell, who were ten goals better than their opponents.
Four of Spain’s most dangerous goal scorers, Maica Garcia (3), Elena Ruiz (3), Judith Forca (2), and Bea Ortiz (2), were in devastating form during the match. Sabadell prevailed in key duels and punished Mediterrani on the scoreboard.
David Palma’s team led 7-1 at halftime and scored six unanswered goals to start the second half, which, along with a clean sheet in the third quarter, led to a relatively easy victory.
Medi’s performance and result are disappointing, as they had hoped, after strengthening in the summer, to offer greater resistance to one of their rivals.
This is another impressive showing by Sabadell, who are clearly raising their level of play. They’ve gotten three points ahead of the rest of the league and are sitting pretty. Now they can focus on getting ready for the Champions League in two weeks, where they hope to carry the momentum from their domestic league into that competition.
Tenerife Echeyde 4 – 17 CN Mataro (1-2, 1-6, 1-6, 1-3)
Tenerife: J. Gaudreault, M. Sagrera, C. Ramos 1, B. McDowell, E. Dominguez 1, J. Rodriguez, E. Pirat, J. Luis, M. Ramos, E. Alcon 1, E. Nicholson 1, A. Sanchez, F. Perez Paez
Mataro: E. Sanchez, S. Morell 1, A. Gual, V. Sevenich, R. Keszthelyi 5, C. Cambray 1, C. Nogue 1, S. Avegno 3, Q. Bertran 1, A. Espar 4, M. Claveria 1, E. Carmona Herrera
Five goals from Rita Keszthelyi helped Mataro on their way to a 17-4 victory over Echeyde in Tenerife.
After a slow start (only 3 goals in the first quarter), Dani Ballart’s team accelerated and ended any hope of a close match with 4 goals from Keszthelyi and 3 from Espar in the second half.
Mataro desperately needed this victory after being blown out by title rival Sabadell in their previous match.
Tenerife have been a revelation in Spain’s top division this season, but they couldn’t handle the challenge presented by today’s match.
ESC Zaragoza 6 – 10 Zodiac CNAB (3-3, 1-1, 1-3, 1-3)
Zaragoza: I. Moreno, A. Escolano, M. Ciudad 3, I. Bertran, A. Sarinena, N. Coloma 1, N. Manero 1, N. Perez, R. Fernandez, S. Perez Burgos 1, I. Grima, J. Tazueco, S. Betran
CNAB: A. Farre Colomina, P. Rodriguez, N. Martin, C. Buscarons 1, N. Josifovic 2, J. Cereijo 2, U. Del Sol Agusti, N. Mandic 1, I. Piralkova, R. Tarrago 2, S. Garcia 2, M. Madre, B. Colominas
Barceloneta secured only their second victory of the season with a 10-6 win over bottom of the league Zaragoza.
Marc Comas’s squad went into halftime tied at 5-5, but they put on a dominant second half performance to win by three points at the Bomberos swimming pool in Aragon.
At 7-5, Barca’s Sandra Garcia and Carla Buscarons scored within a minute of each other, and although Zaragoza had some promising opportunities, they were unable to close the gap before the game ended.
Nina Josifovic, Julia Cereijo, Roser Tarrago, and Sandra Garcia each scored a pair of goals. Miriam Herrera scored three goals for the home team, whose next match against Boadilla is incredibly significant.
CN Rubi 13 – 7 CN Sant Feliu (3-2, 5-1, 3-1, 2-3)
Rubi: E. Jiminez, A. Roldan, C. Penalver 2, C. Abellan 1, M.Ungria 2, A. Rodriguez, L. Rion, C. Moreno 4, R. Prieto 1, J. Prados, E. Vesperinas 1, A. Trivino 2, I. Onoro
Sant Feliu: N. Trojan, J. Soler, M. Bagallo, A. Temprano 1, B.Goset, L. Herrera 1, M. Gomez 2, M. Manchego 2, I. Almeda 1, J. Panicello, L. Hidalgo, J. Figueroa, P. Carilla
The four goals scored by Claudia Moreno helped propel Rubi to a 13-7 victory over Sant Feliu at Can Roses.
Rubi’s coach, Karlos Ligero Alvarez, will be pleased with the manner in which his squad dominated the game; they were superior from the outset.
The second quarter for Rubi, with five scores from five different players (Raquel Prieto, Claudia Moreno, Carla Abellan, Amanda Trivino, and Marta Ungria), made all the difference for the hosts, who found the goals they deserved while on top in the match.
This week’s match against Tenerife Echeyde could be a great opportunity for Feliu to create some breathing room between themselves and the relegation zone. Feliu’s lone win of the season came last week against Zaragoza.
Read more about the Women’s Water Polo in Spain
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
