Girls’ Water Polo: Mesa pulls away against Estancia
After playing eight games in a six-day span, the Costa Mesa High girls’ water polo team finally got a day of practice on Tuesday.
The Mustangs knew the importance of getting ready for Wednesday’s Battle for the Bell rivalry match at Estancia.
And, after a slow start, they showed that they still had the ability to beat their crosstown rivals.
Junior center Kaylie Tickenoff scored six goals as the Mustangs pulled away for an 11-7 victory. They still have never lost a girls’ water polo Battle for the Bell match against the Eagles.
Wednesday’s win meant the teams are tied for second place in the Orange Coast League with a 2-1 mark. But the Mustangs, realistically, will finish in second place because Estancia has to play against Laguna Beach in its league finale next week.
In any case, both teams are trying to gain momentum for the CIF Southern Section playoffs, Mesa in Division 6 and Estancia in Division 7. But for the Mustangs, beating their rivals was also important.
“It feels good to know that since we’re seniors, we get to enjoy this one last rivalry win as a team,” said Costa Mesa senior Brenna Alvis, who had a goal, two assists and six steals. “It’s definitely a pride thing for us, that we wanted to come out and keep [the streak] going. We wanted to continue it. We take pride very seriously at Costa Mesa, especially in the water polo program.
“We’re on a good road going into CIF, it’s just little things we need to work on. Once we perfect those, it’s going to be great.”
Senior keeper Michelle Vu had 15 saves for the Mustangs (12-10), who got two goals each from senior Lauren Kiefer and sophomore Sofia Rice. Rice also had three steals and five assists, and she also shined defensively on Estancia sophomore Katelyn Chesemore.
Chesemore burned the Mustangs early, scoring both of her goals to give the Eagles (11-5) a 2-0 advantage after the first quarter. The first came on a foul outside five meters, the second on a penalty shot that she drew.
But, marked by Rice for much of the contest, she would not score again.
“We can rely on [Rice] to do anything,” Costa Mesa Coach Dustin Serrano said. “When we give her a job, she’ll do that job to the fullest. If we give her an assignment, she’ll make sure that assignment is complete … I think she was able to push the nerves and anxiety away and say, ‘I can take this other responsibility.’ It’s really hard for her to be a sophomore. I think she would love to be with this senior class, because she has a very mature attitude when she plays.”
The Mustangs took their first lead at 4-3 late in the first half when Alvis scored a penalty shot that Rice drew. They took a 5-4 halftime advantage and also scored the first three goals of the third quarter, one each by Tickenoff, Rice and Kiefer.
Tickenoff said she has been battling sickness the last week, but she scored four of her six goals in the second half as the Mustangs pulled away.
“When she wants to be really good, she can take over games like that,” Serrano said. “We try to explain that to her. When she has focus and she gives all her energy, she will be one of the best players to leave Costa Mesa High School for water polo. She doesn’t play year-round, so she gets three months out of the year to perfect herself. I think where she’s at, for the amount of time she’s put in, it’s actually quite incredible.”
Estancia Coach Mitch White said his team got tired. The Eagles had two seniors quit the team about a week ago, he said.
“I couldn’t give my main players the breaks,” White said. “They’re kind of used to it, but not in an aggressive game … time took its toll. But they came back and grabbed a couple of goals at the end. They didn’t give up.
“[The seniors] are disappointed. They thought they were going to be OK this year. Last year, we beat them in the second half [in a 7-3 loss]. This year, we came out ready in the first half, and couldn’t finish in the second.”
The margin of defeat, four goals, was the same both years.
Junior Annie Mitchell had two goals and three steals for Estancia, which also got a goal each from seniors Hayley Hopp and Julia Paluch, as well as junior Kalena Shepherd. Hopp led the team with six steals, and senior goalie Hannah Smith had a standout game with 13 saves and four steals.
The Mustangs resume play against JSerra on Monday, before closing out league against Godinez on Wednesday at Santa Ana Valley High. Estancia’s final regular-season game is at home against Laguna Beach on Wednesday.
Twitter: @mjszabo
