Target’s bull’s-eye

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women’s water polo team

will be sure to face several challenges this season. The biggest

challenge for OCC will be to repeat last year’s amazing feats. The

Pirates won the school’s first women’s water polo state championship

and finished 35-0 against community college teams last year.

The season will be even more challenging because the Pirates, the

defending Orange Empire Conference champions, return just four

players from last season. The four, who will be starters, are Heather

Deyden, Shari Meyer, Erica Nicholson and Nichole Sonnenfeld.

Deyden, a product of Newport Harbor High, earned All-Orange Empire

Conference and All-American laurels as the goalie and defensive

leader of the Pirates. Deyden recorded 179 saves.

Nicholson and Sonnenfeld also provided key contributions to the

Pirates’ championship run. Each scored 58 goals, while Nicholson

amassed 60 steals and Sonnenfeld finished with 37 steals. Meyer, a

left-hander, scored 18 goals and had 10 steals.

Four players who contributed greatly last year have moved on.

Devon Wright and Neisha Hoagland will play for Loyola Marymount,

while Christine McDonald and Tia Montalvo will be at UC Irvine.

In addition, the Pirates will be without longtime coach Don

Watson, who will be on sabbatical. Former assistant coach Mike Giles,

who has always taken care of the recruiting of OCC players, will be

the head coach for the Pirates.

“I’m confident we can make it to (the state tournament),” Giles

said. “If we play well like the way we can, we can make the final

four. We are a freshman-loaded team. We do have those key

sophomores.”

Among the freshman expected to make an immediate impact are Amber

Braly, from Newport Harbor High, and Sara Natalizo, from Irvine. Both

should bring speed to OCC’s attack, and have the versatility to play

in various positions. Natalizo, a fast swimmer, will mostly play at

two meters.

Freshmen Courtney Robertson, Sarah Mitchell, Shannon Kline, Alison

Kane and Everyn DeTomaso will also provide stability for the

defending state champions. Freshman Alexa Miller, who helped lead

Corona del Mar High to its first CIF Southern Section Division IV

championship, along with Mitchell, who has speed to be the Pirates’

sprinter, plan to contribute for the Pirates.

The freshmen’s maturation will be key for Coast, as every team

will be playing at a higher intensity level against the defending

state champion, Giles said. Aside from OCC, Long Beach City is

“phenomenally loaded,” Giles said of the team coached by former OCC

Coach Chris Oeding, the Corona del Mar High product and former

Olympian.

“Long Beach City is going to be a great team,” Giles said. “If

nobody knows now, they will know soon. They can win both men and

women (titles in the Orange Empire Conference)”. Golden West will

also be strong, real strong. They will be in the running. Sierra and

Merced will most likely be the powers up north.”

Merced nearly pulled off the upset over the Pirates last year in

the state semifinals. But OCC held off the Tigers with a 5-4 victory,

after the Pirates 3-1 halftime deficit.

The Pirates will start their season with Cypress Tournament,

Sept. 6-7. This season, OCC will not play against NCAA Division I

teams. Last year, the Pirates lost in a tight game, 8-6, to UC

Irvine, for their only loss of the season.