O’Toole Scores Four Goals as the Hackers Gain Title

The Hackers, a club comprised of players from Huntington Beach and Long Beach, had won the Senior Women’s national water polo championships six of the last seven years.

It didn’t seem likely, however, that they would be the 1985 champions.

The Hackers, after all, weren’t going to field a team this year because too many of its players had prior commitments. It wasn’t until last Sunday that the women decided to compete at the nationals. They entered the tournament with only seven players; it takes six to field a water polo team.

Not only did they have barely enough to play--and little practice before this weekend’s three-day event at Irvine’s Heritage park Aquatic Complex--but they also had to play without their regular head coach, Scott Henman, who was in Hawaii. Co-coaches Guy Baker and Doug Kimbell were hastily called to take over.

Still, the Hackers were victorious Sunday by rallying in the fourth period of the final game to defeat Cal, 7-5.

The Hackers were led by Maureen O’Toole, considered by many to be the world’s best woman player. She scored four goals against Cal, giving her six on the day. Sunday morning, she and four of her teammates each scored twice to as the Hackers advanced past Modesto, 11-4.

O’Toole scored at 5:18 in the first period to give the Hackers a 1-0 lead. But Cal added two goals, and had a 3-2 lead with a little more than a minute remaining in the second quarter.

But with three seconds left, O’Toole took a pass from teammate Robin Dressel and tied the score, 3-3. O’Toole scored again midway through the third period, but the Hackers entered the final quarter trailing, 5-4.

In the fourth period, though, the Hackers offense proved to be the difference. After Dressel scored 34 seconds into the quarter to tie the score, O’Toole scored her fourth goal at 2:21 to put the Hackers ahead to stay, 6-5.