Photo by Aaron Crutchfield - Atascadero goalie Patrick Neil attempts to make a save during the Greyhounds’ 12-11 loss to San Luis Obispo on Tuesday.

The Atascadero High School varsity boys water polo team suffered a real gut-punch loss on Tuesday to San Luis Obispo, as the Tigers scored four goals in the final 2:30 of the game to beat the Greyhounds 12-11.

Atascadero coach Mitch Stafford said the loss hurt more than even the game in 2006 when Atascadero took Arroyo Grande to overtime. Steven Workman, who was on the 2006 team as a player and is now the junior varsity coach, also said Thursday’s game hurt more.

“This is the hardest loss ever,” Stafford said. “But it was a good game. The team came out and they wanted it more than any team I’ve ever seen.”

Last time the Greyhounds faced SLO, they found themselves in a 5-1 first-quarter deficit and could never fully recover in a 13-10 loss on Sept. 24. But this time, after two goals by Jake Vukovich and two by Chad Ponek, the Hounds held a 4-3 lead after one quarter of play.

For the complete article see the 10-23-2009 issue.

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