Noah Jamani
Staff Writer
Mira Costa’s girls water polo team put up a valiant effort in a home game against Los Alamitos High School, but came up short.
Costa’s girls water polo team fell to the Griffins 7-4 on Tuesday as a result of poor defense at the start of the game. According to head coach John Reichardt, Costa struggled in the first quarter.
“We played very poorly in the first quarter,” Reichardt said. “However, as the game progressed, we were all over them, and had plenty of chances.”
According to senior attacker Aminadi Anorve, The Mustangs did not have a strong start to the game, giving up a goal right off the start of the game. Los Alamitos would later add four more goals to extend their lead to five.
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“We played slow at the start,” Anorve said. “They dominated us everywhere, and we kept turning the ball over.”
In the second quarter, the Mustangs finally responded with a goal by senior attacker Skylar Jefferson. However, the Griffins would respond with a goal shortly after and bring the lead back to five. In the dying minutes of the second quarter, sophomore attacker Camille Lyter scored to make it 6-2 going into the half.
“Our offense finally clicked in the second quarter,” Reichardt said. “We dominated possession of the ball, and had plenty of chances to score.”
Photos: Mira Costa Mustangs vs Los Alamitos Griffins Girls Water Polo.
At the start of the third quarter, Jefferson scored on a shot in close, cutting the lead to three. However, Costa’s momentum would not last and Los Alamitos would end the quarter scoring on a costly turnover.
“Both teams shared chances in the third quarter,” Anorve said. “We could have scored on a few have chances, and they could have too.”
Mustang players, including senior attacker Sami Jordan, talk about their victory versus Peninsula 7-3 on Thursday. The highlights included senior attacker Aminadi Anorve highlight goal, and some saves by senior goaltender Katie Nixtberg.
The final quarter was all Costa with Jefferson scoring in the opening minutes. Throughout the quarter, Costa kept sustaining pressure on Los Alamitos, but could not capitalize on their chances.
“We had a strong finish but unfortunately it was not enough,” Reichardt said. “Our offense and defense were great that quarter, but we should have started the game with strong offense and defense.”
The Mustangs are now 2-4 overall and have not played in a Bay League game yet. Costa will next play Arroyo Grande at home on Friday.
“We need to communicate more to be successful,” Reichardt said. “Communication is key on defense and offense and can really help us out next game.”
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