CdM finding its groove

Steve Virgen

While earning two victories Saturday, the Corona del Mar High girls

water polo team showed it is a different squad from the one that

started the 2003-04 season.

The Sea Kings (3-3) ended their three-game skid with victories

over Edison, 9-2, and then Poway, 14-4, on the first day of the

Newport Harbor-Corona del Mar Holiday Cup at CdM. Though the Sea

Kings were on their game Saturday, their true test of whether they

have indeed improved will come today at 10:40 a.m. against top-seeded

Foothill in a semifinal at Newport Harbor.

CdM could possibly face Back Bay rival Newport Harbor later today,

as the Sailors are in the other semifinal of the 16-team tournament,

facing Santa Barbara. The tourney’s third-place game is slated for 3

p.m., and the title match is at 4:05 p.m. at Newport.

“I love to play those guys,” CdM Coach Aaron Chaney said of

playing against Foothill. “It’s great to play them and I know the

girls really like playing them. The girls are really psyched to play

them.”

Chaney said the Sea Kings have become excited to face the Knights

because they played so well Saturday, especially against Poway. CdM

defeated Edison, but Chaney thought the Sea Kings could have played

better. They made up for it when they took on Poway (7-3).

Sophomore Camille Hewko scored five goals and senior Katya

Eadington added four as CdM built a 7-0 lead and never looked back.

While Hewko caught a bit of fire, Eadington also displayed a nice

touch throughout the day, scoring seven goals from the two games

combined.

“It’s hard for me to single out one girl who performed great for

us,” Chaney said. “I thought every one was really on top of it.”

The Sea Kings were efficient on their counterattack throughout the

game. CdM junior goalie Brittany Fullen, who recorded eight saves,

would usually start the counterattack with a lead pass, and either

Hewko, Eadington or senior Vivian Liao would finish on the other end.

Liao and junior Jordan Anae scored two goals each, and Katie Kubas

contributed one. Poway came as close as 8-3 less than one minute into

the fourth quarter, but the Sea Kings closed out the game with a 6-1

run. Liao and Eddington scored on the counterattack during the spurt.

Hewko made good on two outside shots, Kubas scored in two meters and

Eadington capped the scoring with an outside shot with 37 seconds

left.

“That was one of the best games we have played,” Chaney said. “Our

defense was great and we didn’t give them that many opportunities. We

were finding the open [player] and we were really patient. There has

been improvement.”

In the first-round victory over Edison, Kubas and Eadington scored

three goals each and Liao had two. Anae also found the cage once.

*--*

Holiday Cup Quarterfinal

Corona del Mar 14, Poway 4

Score by Quarters

Poway 0 0 2 2 -- 4

CdM 2 2 4 6 -- 14

Poway -- Reyser 2, Gerrity 1, Jensen 1. Saves --

Bentley 7.

CdM -- Hewko 5, Eadington 4, Anae 2, Liao 2, K.

Kubas 1. Saves -- Fullen 8.

*--*

*--*

First round

Corona del Mar 9, Edison 2

Score by Quarters

Edison 0 0 0 2 -- 2

CdM 4 0 4 1 -- 9

CdM -- K. Kubas 3, Eadington 3, Liao 2, Anae 1.

Saves -- Fullen 1, Anae 1.

*--*