Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, Heather Deyden: Grinning and

winning

Barry Faulkner

Heather Deyden loves being the goalie on the Newport Harbor High

girls water polo team. And she isn’t afraid to show it, especially when

the glowing smile evoked by her athletic passion doubles as a distraction

to opposing attackers.

“I like to smile at the shooters,” Deyden said of her premeditated

psychological ploy, which began with a four-meter penalty shot during

summer competition. “It’s like a weird thing for a goalie to do and I

think it completely throws them off guard.”

Deyden, a junior first-year starter, is always on guard for the Sailors,

ranked No. 4 in Orange County and No. 7 in CIF Southern Section Division

I.

After serving an apprenticeship to All-CIF senior Erin Kennedy last

season, Deyden has stepped into the spotlight for Coach Bill Barnett’s

Tars.

A consistent performer all year, Deyden sparkled in a pair of wins last

week to earn Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week honors.

She made six saves in a 15-2 Sea View League thumping of Woodbridge Jan.

26, before subbing into the field and scoring a fourth-quarter goal.

Two days later, she made eight saves, negated four six-on-five

opportunities and turned away a point-blank shot to help the Sailors top

highly regarded Foothill, 7-5.

“I would say Foothill was one of her best games,” Barnett said. “She

really kept us in the game early on. We fell behind by three goals in the

first half and it could have been six if not for her. She kept stopping

shots until we could gain the momentum.”

Barnett said Deyden’s height (5-foot-9), wing span and aggressiveness

make her a natural for the position. The former men’s Olympic team coach,

however, said she has worked hard to enhance her physical attributes,

which include a cannon for an arm.

“When she’s on, her passing is absolutely superb,” Barnett said. “She can

chuck the ball the full length of the pool (about 30 yards), which is a

real big positive.”

Deyden’s powerful throwing arm, which she said she developed as a Little

League outfielder, even produced a goal from her own cage this season, an

extremely rare feat.

“It was in the Villa Park Tournament, but I don’t remember who we were

playing,” Deyden recalled of her first varsity goal. “I just shot across

the pool and their goalie couldn’t block it. There was time left in the

third quarter and we had a big lead, so we didn’t need it. But it was

very cool for me.”

Deyden keeps her cool under pressure from opposing offenses, utilizing

some tricks Barnett has imparted.

“I’ve learned to watch the shooter’s eyes,” she said. “I watch their eyes

and I try to watch their body movement. Sometimes a shooter will lean to

one side and that tells you where they’re going to shoot. I’ve gotten a

lot better with experience and my confidence has improved.”

Deyden has also improved her shot-blocking, refining her saves to limit

rebounds, according to Barnett.

“She’s gotten a lot better at blocking the ball and controlling it,”

Barnett said.

“We call it pulldowns,” Deyden said. “You have to make sure when you

block a shot, you pull it down with your hands. When I first started, I

was slapping shots all over the place, most of the time right back at

their shooters.”

Deyden enjoys the challenge of being the last line of defense, but her

greatest satisfaction comes from triggering the Tars’ counterattack.

“Coach Barnett has taught me where to throw the ball and to be more

precise,” she said. “The thing I like best is when I’m able to pass the

ball down the pool to set up an awesome shot.”

It’s another of the many game situations which bring a smile to her face.