Girls’ Water Polo: CdM clamps down
Before the season, members of the Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team talked about being a top-four team in CIF Southern Section Division 1.
Nobody said it would be easy, but the Sea Kings have now given themselves a chance to be in that position.
CdM is just a round away after dispatching Back Bay rival Newport Harbor, 9-4, in a first-round playoff game Wednesday night at Corona del Mar High.
Junior Chloe Harbilas scored five goals for the Sea Kings (20-8), who will play No. 3-seeded Santa Barbara San Marcos in a Division 1 quarterfinal game Saturday, most likely at Santa Barbara High. San Marcos beat San Clemente, 14-6, in another first-round game.
Saturday’s game will be a rematch of last year’s Division 1 quarterfinal, which San Marcos won, 8-5, also at Santa Barbara High.
CdM has the talent to beat the Royals on the road this time, but it will have to do so without one of its most experienced players. Senior captain Jaleh Moaddeli, CdM’s leading scorer last year and a Newport-Mesa Dream Team selection, will not be part of the postseason run.
“She’s not on the team anymore,” CdM Coach Kevin Ricks said, declining to elaborate on the reason. “I’d rather focus on the group of girls who just played and did a good job, played really hard.”
Moaddeli also did not play in CdM’s final league game against Irvine last week, Ricks said. Moaddeli, who was third on the Sea Kings this season with 42 goals scored, declined to comment on the situation in a text message Wednesday night.
CdM certainly did not appear shorthanded against Newport Harbor (13-12). Other players stepped up. Junior Parker Hoffman drew the start in Moaddeli’s absence and had a steal. And sophomore Layne Anzaldo made two nice goals from center, also adding an assist.
“It’s given us the opportunity to have a lot of other people step up to the plate,” said CdM junior goalie Erin Tharp, who made nine saves. “We played as a team and we played as a family, and I think that’s what we needed to do. I was really proud of everybody.”
The Sailors drew first blood in the game, with junior co-captain Kaela Whelan burying an outside shot with 5:17 remaining in the first quarter. But Newport Harbor went more than 20 minutes, into the fourth quarter, before scoring again.
“We focused on defense,” said Harbilas, who stepped up with four field blocks. “When we were up by a couple of goals, we needed to focus on defense. I told everyone, ‘Hey, we need to maintain our composure.’ We wanted to take control of the game … and we needed to focus on defense and being fundamentally sound, blocking the ball and maintaining our system. I think we did that really well, and that’s why we were able to maintain our lead.”
By the time Jessica Lynch scored bar-in from the outside with 5:45 remaining in the game, Newport Harbor was down, 6-2. The Sailors also missed on their first five power-play opportunities before Lynch and Sarah Barker scored in the fourth quarter.
They were on their way to falling to 0-4 against CdM over the last two seasons.
“We weren’t finding the open girl,” Newport Coach Brian Melstrom said. “She was there, we just didn’t see it. [It was] passing, and we didn’t get girls in the right position … We just seemed a little timid.”
CdM didn’t seem that way. Sophomore Sophie Wallace had a goal and two assists, while seniors Sarah Lawson and Emily Ritner combined for three helpers. Ritner added a goal, while senior Kelly Morgan had a steal.
With the game in hand in the fourth quarter, Ricks was able to sub in several underclassmen off the bench. Freshman goalie Maya Avital went between the pipes. Freshmen Megan Peterson played extensively late in the game and drew an exclusion late in the third quarter.
CdM has a tough task on its hands for Saturday, but the players seem excited for the challenge.
“I honestly think this is one of our biggest breakthroughs,” Harbilas said of Wednesday’s result. “We played as a team, and we were just really there for each other … It was a different situation we were all put in, but I think we’ve adapted pretty well to it.”
Twitter: @mjszabo
