CdM cruises

Bryce Alderton

What does Corona del Mar High’s girls water polo team get for

beating Santa Barbara, 8-3 Friday? A match today against powerhouse

Foothill.

The Sea Kings (6-0) will play the Knights, ranked No. 1 in CIF

Southern Section Division I, today at Newport Harbor at 10:40 a.m. in

the semifinals of the Newport Harbor-Corona del Mar Holiday Cup.

CdM, ranked No. 1 in CIF Division II, exacted revenge on the 6-2

Dons, who beat the Sea Kings in this tournament a year ago in a game

that sent Santa Barbara to the fifth-place contest.

Tied, 2-2 at the end of one period, Corona scored six straight

goals to jump to an 8-2 cushion until the Dons scored their third

goal with 5:46 left in the game.

The Dons, CIF Division II champions a year ago, went 1-for-10 on

player-advantage situations while Corona scored on 3 of 6 on the

six-on-five.

“The six-on-five is the only thing that hurt them,” said CdM Coach

Aaron Chaney. “If they had converted on the six-on-fives like we did

it would have been a different game.”

Part of the reason the Dons struggled with a plalyer-advantage was

a smothering Corona defense that forced six steals through three

quarters. Katya Eadington reached in with her left hand to knock the

ball away from a driving Don in the CdM zone toward the end of the

first period before senior Brittany Bowlus drew an ejection with 58

seconds remaining, which set up Christina Hewko’s second goal.

Chaney put Hewko, who scored CdM’s first two goals and tallied one

assist, on Santa Barbara’s Molly Cahill while freshman Camille Hewko

closely guarded Miranda Young. The Hewko sisters kept Cahill and

Young relatively in-check. Young scored two of the Don’s three goals

and Cahill had two assists.

Sea King seniors Brittany Bowlus and Danielle Carlson each scored

twice and Camille Hewko along with Jessica Harkins adding solo goals

for the victors. CdM goalkeeper Brittany Fullen made three saves and

Vivian Liao added an assist.

* Corona defeated Marina, 13-3, in first-round action Friday.

Carlson scored five goals while Eadington (three), Christina Hewko

(two), Bowlus (one), Daniela DiGiacomo (one) and Jordan Anae (one)

all contributed to CdM’s scoring attack.

The Sea Kings led, 10-0, before Marina scored its first goal.