Boys water polo: CdM gets edged out

Joseph Boo

LAKE FOREST - The result was the same the second time around, but

it was a much different game.

Corona del Mar High’s 18-and-under boys water team found itself in one

of those tense, too-close-for-comfort battles with San Diego Shores A in

the U.S. Water Polo Junior Olympics championship bracket game at El Toro

High Friday morning.

But it a lot different then Wednesday’s meeting between these two, a

14-4 win by San Diego Shores. The Sea Kings ultimately lost Friday, 6-5,

to complete play in the Junior Olympics, but a what difference 48 hours

can make.

All pretenses of another San Diego Shores blowout was wiped out in the

first quarter when it scraped together two goals in the first half. CdM’s

defense was stifling and goalie Sherwin Kim made some point-blank saves,

six in all.

But San Diego’s defense was equal to the task and shut down CdM’s

offense until a minute remained in the first half. Marcello Pantuliano

put the Sea Kings on the scoreboard with a goal.

That goal started a mini-CdM spurt. With 16 seconds left before

halftime, CdM’s Garrett Bowlus tied the game at 2-2.

When the second half got underway, Pantuliano scored again on a

six-on-five to give the Sea Kings their first lead against San Diego

after six quarters.

“We were a lot more patient the second time around,” said Marc Hunt, a

CdM assistant filling in for U.S. Men’s National Coach John Vargas. “Any

time we missed a shot, they took off on the other end to create counters

and scoring opportunities. Our kids did a nice job picking that up from

the last game, and they did a better job slowing the game down and

working the ball around. They played with patience, and they looked like

a mature team at times.”

CdM, a young team with few returning varsity players from last years’s

CIF Southern Section Division II championship squad, held the upper hand

until the end of the third quarter.

San Diego tied the game after Pantuliano’s second score, but Bowlus

responded when he scored right in front of the goal. CdM had a 4-3 lead

until the end of the third quarter when San Diego’s Andy Orr knocked in a

rebound.

San Diego started the fourth quarter with two goals. Michael March

scored for CdM with a minute and a half left in the game, but that’s as

close as CdM could make it.

“This is a really young team,” Hunt said. “Three or four of these guys

have never played in a game like this before. This is all experience for

games down the road.”

CdM takes a break for two weeks before it starts play in the South

Coast Tournament, which the Sea Kings will host.

Also on Friday, Newport Harbor’s 18-and-under boys water polo team

defeated Royal from Simi Valley, 8-7 in a Junior Olympic consolation game

at Villa Park High to wrap up play. Ryan Cook led the Sailors with three

goals and Steven Jendrusina scored twice. Newport goalie Brandon McLain

made five saves and Shawn Johnson had four.

CdM’s 16-and-under boys water polo team lost its final Junior Olympic

game Thursday afternoon to Northern Illinois, 6-5 at El Modena High. The

Sea Kings scored three times in the third quarter to cut a deficit to

5-4.

Ali Kattan, David DiRocco, Ryan Moore, Jared Vargas and Kevin Amendt

each scored a goal for CdM. Sea King goalie Beau Stockstill made six

saves and Tyler Brundage had five.