Sea Kings can’t overcome lethargy

CORONA DEL MAR — Corona del Mar High was ahead of Foothill after a quarter of its girls’ water polo nonleague game Saturday at CdM.

Still, as the Sea Kings huddled after the first quarter, it was clear they were frustrated.

Corona del Mar ultimately couldn’t get its offense going, eventually losing, 4-2, to the Knights, who reached the semifinals of last week’s Holiday Cup that CdM won.

The Sea Kings (7-3) had scored at least five goals in each of their first nine games, and initially looked to be on their way again. Haley Prickett struck first for CdM at two meters with five minutes, 57 seconds left in the first quarter.

But it would be over 21 minutes — until early in the fourth quarter — before CdM could find the back of the net again.

“We didn’t have any movement,” Sea Kings Coach Aaron Chaney said. “The girls looked like they were afraid to play. They didn’t leave it all in the pool.”

In between CdM scores, Foothill (8-1) had built a 3-1 lead. Emily Klug scored a rebound goal with 4:47 left in the second quarter, then Jessica Kutcher scored from four meters with 2:30 left until halftime.

Brittany Zwirner added a long cross-cage shot with 57 seconds left in the third, which hit off the inside-left post and trickled in.

The Sea Kings, meanwhile, failed to get many good shots against Foothill goalie Amber Oland, who is also the U.S. junior national team goalie.

“Everybody knows it, so they’re afraid to shoot on her,” Chaney said. “These girls have to have confidence in themselves. You can’t put these people up on pedestals, like they’re the kings of the world. They’re just regular human beings like the rest of us.”

CdM’s Katie Indvik scored a six-on-five goal with 5:29 left in the game, pulling the Sea Kings within 3-2. Still, it was only the Sea Kings’ first goal in four power-play opportunities.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Indvik of her team’s six-on-five chances. “We were rushing shots, a little bit of panic maybe. In practice we play it comfortably, but in the game we couldn’t get it right.”

Foothill’s Klug added a long insurance goal with three minutes left, although Chaney felt that she had pushed off three different times on Cari Levine.

“On the third push, she shot the ball,” Chaney said. “That was an offensive foul.”

The Sea Kings will have to regroup quickly, as they begin Pacific Coast League play Wednesday at home against Beckman.

“There’s not one doubt in any of our minds that we’re going to come back,” Levine said. “We know what it feels like to lose, and not one person on our team Iikes it.”

Nonleague

Foothill 4, Corona del Mar 2

Score by Quarters

Foothill

0

2

1

1

—

4

CdM

1

0

0

1

—

2

Foothill -- Klug 2, Kutcher 1, Zwirner 1. Saves -- Oland 7.

CdM -- Indvik 1, Prickett 1. Saves -- Murphy 7.