Girls’ Water Polo: Mesa keeps Bell

It has been a few years now since Alessia Vitiello and Sofia Rice played in 10-and-unders with Costa Mesa Aquatics Club.

Back then, Vitiello and Rice would sometimes go against each other. Vitiello was more of the threat on offense, while Rice focused more on defense.

“It started our water polo careers,” Rice said.

Costa Mesa Aquatics Club has now been around for long enough that those 10-and-under girls are now making an impact in high school for Costa Mesa. This year’s Mustangs are young, with just one senior, but there is certainly talent and potential on display.

They showed it Wednesday, in the Battle for the Bell game against rival Estancia. Costa Mesa, which has never lost the rivalry game in girls’ water polo, kept that streak alive with a 7-3 win at Costa Mesa High.

Vitiello, a sophomore center, led Costa Mesa with three goals. Rice, a freshman utility player, added two goals and a game-high five steals.

Junior Brenna Alvis scored twice for Costa Mesa (10-12, 1-1 in league), while junior goalie Michelle Vu also shined with 17 saves. But Estancia (6-13, 0-2) did not go away, outscoring the Mustangs in the second half after Mesa opened up a 5-0 halftime advantage.

“I think both teams had very high fight through this game,” Costa Mesa Coach Dustin Serrano said. “We knew Estancia was going to come out and fight for it. We tried to come out hard in the first half, which we did, to go up 5-0. Then I think we got a little bit nervous, and our nerves kicked in once they scored that first goal.”

Alvis is known more for her softball ability at Costa Mesa, but she scored the first two goals of the game. One came from a tough angle from the left side, and another on a counterattack. Serrano said it was great to see from Alvis, who missed three weeks earlier this season following appendix surgery.

“That’s how she plays,” said Serrano, who also praised Alvis’ effort and fight in each game. “She counters, she scores, she’s a shooting threat from the outside. To see her get those two goals right away for us, I think that was big momentum for our girls.”

The Mustangs then used a nice shot from Rice from six meters, then another Rice goal from the outside, to build a 4-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

The fifth goal came when Mesa’s Lauren Kiefer got the first of her two assists, finding Vitiello in the middle for a quick goal. Vitiello, the Mustangs’ leading scorer both last year and this year, had a tough shooting start to the game. But what she did do was get Estancia senior set defender Maraide Green in foul trouble, with two quick ones by early in the second quarter.

“I was kind of nervous,” said Vitiello, a lefty who now has 52 goals this season. “ I was excited about playing this game, and I finally got into it. Last year it was my first year and I had to get used to a new team. This year, I’m more comfortable with my team.”

Estancia didn’t get on the scoreboard until junior center Hayley Hopp scored on a backhand from five meters, assisted by senior Alex Adkisson, with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter. Credit the goaltending of Vu, who is second in Orange County with 243 saves this season. She said she has learned a lot from Costa Mesa goalie coach Morgan Turner, who played the position at the University of Michigan. And the Mustangs dropped on two meters, giving Estancia outside shots that were easier for Vu to handle.

The Eagles did actually outscore the Mustangs in the second half, 3-2. Junior Maria Ramos and freshman Katelyn Chesemore also scored. Adkisson finished with two assists and three steals, while Green and Annie Mitchell also had two steals for Estancia. Brandi White won all four sprints, and Hannah Smith made 11 saves.

“What we didn’t do was put the ball in the goal,” Estancia Coach Mitch White said. “But the best thing for our girls is that they shut down at least five or six six-on-fives [Costa Mesa failed to convert in six opportunities]. That’s a huge defensive effort. If we could have put our shots in the goal, it’s a pretty even game. I was happy with it. Never happy with a loss, but I’m happy with the way they played, other than the shooting.”

Costa Mesa’s lone senior, Tia Gordon, had an assist and a steal and was stout defensively, while Cassidy Crandall and Kendra Ferguson also had steals. The Mustangs are looking to finish second in league after finishing third each of the past two years. The league finale at Saddleback on Feb. 10 will be key in that regard, as the Roadrunners beat Mesa last year. First, the Mustangs tangle with Godinez next Wednesday at home.

“That’s definitely going to be the game to win,” Rice said of the Saddleback game. “We’re going to try really hard.”

Vitiello nodded in agreement.

“We’re going to prepare for it like a championship game,” she said.