Boys water polo trumps Corona High, advances to second round CIF

By Camille Juton
Staff Writer

After advancing into the first round of CIF playoffs, the Mira Costa boys water polo team faced Corona High School on Wednesday and won, 17-5.

Within the first few minutes of the first period, Costa jumped ahead by seven goals. Senior captain Cody Kelley scored two goals and had four assists. Senior Sam Stiltanen and junior Max Rigler each scored a goal, aided by senior captain Jimmy Bissell. Throughout the first period, the defense dominated and made sure Corona was scoreless.

“We started out very strong in the first period,” Bissell said. “Our offense was playing well and penetrating through Corona’s defense, which allowed us to get an early lead.”

Although Costa’s defense remained very powerful during the second period, Corona was able to score one goal. However, Costa managed to have successful passes throughout the pool, allowing Bissell, Siltanen, and junior Austin Norris to score a goal during the period.

“This was one of the easier games we are scheduled to play for CIF, but it was still a great opportunity to work on the little things we needed to perfect, and it helped us see some of the things we need to work on,” Kelley said.

By the end of the third period, Costa was up 15-1 after juniors Gabe Smith and Andrew Burdiak’s key goals. Because of the large lead, many substitutes were able to play toward the end of the match.

“By half time, our team was scoring a lot of goals and dominating the pool,” Bissell said. “Everyone got the chance to play, so we were able to reinforce and perfect many of the plays we have been working on at practice this season.”

During the last period of the match, Costa allowed Corona to score four goals, but the Mustangs strengthened their defense and prevented Corona from scoring again. The period and the match ended 17-5.

“By the end of the game, we let our lead get to our heads and stopped trying as hard to prevent Corona from scoring,” Siltanen said. “After letting a couple goals in, we came back with two more goals and won the match.”

Costa, ranked second overall in CIF, will face Tesoro High School in second-round play at home at 11:30 a.m tomorrow.

“Our next game on Saturday will be a good challenge that I think we can win as long as we are assertive and smart,” Kelley said. “We also need to not beat ourselves, and we need to fight for every goal.”