By Rick Assad
Using a 10-point first-half scoring barrage, the Burbank High girls’ water polo team routed visiting Hoover in a Pacific League match at the Burroughs pool on Thursday night.
After pulling ahead 10-5 at the mid-point, the Bulldogs cruised to a comfortable 14-8 triumph behind five goals from junior attacker Melanie Hayrapetian.
Burbank senior center Lizzie Bislamyan and senior attacker Kristina Khamtrashyan each added four goals.
The Tornadoes were led by Candela Roman Capdevila with three goals.
Hayrapetian scored four of her goals in the opening half as the Bulldogs (1-5 and 1-0 in league) outshot the Tornadoes 19-16. Hoover outshot Burbank overall in the match, 28-27.
Hayrapetian began her evening by scoring with 1:05 left in the first period for a 4-2 lead.
Hayrapetian tacked on a goal with forty-three seconds remaining in the same frame for a 5-2 advantage.
Hayrapetian’s scoring touch carried over to the second period as she nailed a 10-footer with 2:30 left made it 8-4.
Hayrapetian added a 16-footer with 1:19 left in the second frame for a 10-5 margin.
Hayrapetian opened the third period with a short toss and 5:52 left that made it 11-5.
Bislamyan tallied the first goal of the match with 5:30 left on a six-footer for a 1-0.
Bislamyan’s seven-footer with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter extended the lead to 9-5.
Bislamyan scored twice in the third quarter as she went back-to-back with a five-footer and 3:26 left for a 12-5 lead and from nine feet and 1:17 left on the clock for a 13-5 edge.
Khamtrashyan scored in three of the four periods and began by hitting a seven-footer with 2:25 left in the opening period for a 3-0 advantage.
Khamtrashyan added a 12-footer and 6:23 left for a 6-3 lead in the second period and contributed 10-footer with 4:00 left for a 7-4 lead in the same frame.
Khamtrashyan’s goal from 12 feet and 2:33 remaining in the fourth period made it 14-8 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Rose Ilangesyan added a five-meter penalty shot with 3:27 left for a 2-0 lead in the first quarter.
Capdevila had a five-footer with 1:19 left in the first quarter that cut Burbank’s lead to 3-2.
When Capdevila added an eight-footer and 4:52 left in the second period, the Tornadoes (0-4 and 0-1 in league) drew within 6-4.
Capdevila’s point-blank toss with 6:12 on the clock in the fourth period saw Hoover come within 13-7.
Hoover’s Jaelynn Romano scored twice and included a short shot with 2:10 left in the first period that trimmed Burbank’s lead to 3-1.
Romano added a close shot with fifty-nine seconds left that saw Hoover get within 13-6.
