The562’s coverage of aquatic sports in Long Beach in 2025-26 is sponsored by Watersafe Swim School.
The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
The Cabrillo girls’ water polo senior class has been part of a lot of the program’s most memorable moments.
Their freshman year was the first time the Jaguars ever made it to the playoffs and their junior year they made it again – but each time Cabrillo lost in the opening round of the postseason.
The Jaguars made sure this year would be different as they dominated from start to finish as they picked up a dominating 22-0 victory over Mark Keppel Thursday night in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs.
“It means, honestly, the world, to me. Coming from the team that first made it to playoffs ever in Cabrillo history to making it all the way to the first round,” Cabrillo senior Flor Garibay said. “I’ve grown up with these girls since I started high school, so just knowing that we can win with each other and be with each other for almost our whole lives, our whole water polo career is just so bittersweet.”
Cabrillo will look to continue to make history when they are back home to host the second round on Tuesday when the Jaguars host Bolsa Grande at 5 p.m.
The Jags left no doubt as their seniors got things after Cecilia Herrera got Cabrillo on the board early. Garibay followed that with her first goal on a rebound and Herrera’s second goal on a 5-meter penalty shot put the Jags up 3-0 less than two minutes into the game.
Garibay kept the pressure on the Aztecs as she scored her second goal and after a goal from fellow senior Arleen Castillo – Garibay completed her first quarter hat trick. Cabrillo’s seniors dominated the period as Herrera and Castillo each scored two goals.
Cabrillo continued to shutout the Aztec offense in the first half with freshman Roselyn Lucindo in the cage. Garibay capped her scoring for the night in the second with her fourth goal and Valeries scored twice to give the Jags a 10-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Lucindo traded her goalie cap as her and Garibay swapped spots and the freshman went on the attack. She immediately scored her first goal after the break and once Herrera completed her own hat trick, Lucindo scored her second goal as Cabrillo took a 13-0 lead.
Castillo was the fith Jaguar to score a hat trick to give the Jags a 15-0 lead and that’s when Lucindo scored five of the next seven goals to finish the night with a game-high seven goals.
“Really happy to have them and their skills to help me learn the stuff,” Lucindo said of playing with her senior teammates. “I’m definitely gonna miss them when they go, so being in the playoffs and getting this one means a lot to be able to play with them more.”
“I think the team itself has had a really good season,” Cabrillo coach Julia Camacho added. “I think that’s also due to the fact that we have a lot of vets on the team. We have seven strong seniors who’ve played all four years. So I think that they’ve been the strongest they have this year, and, you know, the hard work has been paying off, and they had a great season, and I think because of that, they’ve been given the opportunity for a postseason.”
