Girls water polo falls to King High School 14-1

By Parker Solomon
Staff Writer

Mira Costa’s girls water polo team put up a valiant effort in its game against Martin Luther King High School at the Woollett Aquatic Center but ultimately came up short.
Costa’s 14-1 loss against the Wolves was a result of the Mustangs’ lack of defense and their inability to convert on open opportunities.
“Even though we lost today’s game, I still think we gave it our all,” senior attacker Yen Nguyen said. “I don’t believe that we mentally prepared enough for the match.”
At the start of the first quarter, the Mustangs defended their goal through aggressive plays that prevented the Wolves from scoring. However, as the quarter progressed, the Mustangs fell behind, allowing the wolves to score three goals, ending the quarter 3-0.
“We gave up a lot of easy goals during the first quarter, which is why their team got off to a strong lead,” Nguyen said.
The second quarter opened with many failed attempts by Costa to score. In the meantime, the Wolves were able to score yet another goal, ending the second quarter, 5-0, with the Mustangs trailing behind.
“We missed too many shots and didn’t make intelligent plays,” Nguyen said.
In the third quarter, Martin Luther King scored three goals in the first two minutes, increasing its lead against Costa to 8-0. Costa’s defense continued to struggle, allowing Martin Luther King to finish the quarter 9-0 as the Lions’ offense scored once more.
“We practiced running a drop defense during the game, but we didn’t really execute it properly,” senior goalie Marisa Catella said.
The fourth quarter opened with another three goals by the Wolves. Soon, senior utility Kayleigh Brownsberger put Costa on the scoreboard at 12-1. At the end of the quarter, the Wolves maintained their momentum and finished the game 14-1.
“It was good that we got a point on the board just to show we didn’t get shut out,” Brownsberger said.
This loss marked the end of the Mustangs’ season with a record of 17-13 overall.
“We made it far in the tournament, and the team did better than expected,” Nguyen said.