By: Brooke Smith
Online Editor
Mira Costa boys water polo barely secured a win, 11-10 in their first CIF division two playoff game against Damien High School at Citrus College on Wednesday, November 6. The top performer was junior, Jake Carter.
The Mustangs were very strong on defense the entire game by responding immediately to Damien’s goals. Although, Damien started the game off with a goal, Costa kept up by barely bringing home a win. Carter was the highest scoring player with a total of four goals.
“It was a close, tough game and our defense was not the best but a win is a win,” Senior, captain,” Ryder Theodore said.
In the first quarter, Damien gained possession of the ball and scored the first point of the game, but Carter responded with three back-to-back goals. Damien scored again on Costa’s goal, but Costa did not fall short while junior, Kai Scarlet and Carter found the back of the net ending the quarter, 5-3.
“I think we started off strong with a couple of quick goals, but we were also giving up goals every one and a while when we scored,” Scarlet said.
In the second quarter, Damien did not wait to score another goal, but junior Paolo Riverin responded with his first goal of the night. Shortly after, Costa scored another goal by Matt Fry. Damien stayed on their toes while responding to Costa’s offense with a couple more goals. Finally, Rex Robins hit the net with the final goal of the quarter. The Mustangs kept their lead, 8-6.
“We kept going goal for goal with them, but we ended up getting a few key goals that finished us with a big steal to end the game,” Carter said.
In the third quarter, Robins would score again with an assist from Ryan Rossow. After an ejection, Damien would score on the ratio of 6-5 players. Riverin scored a smooth backhand shot with his second goal of the night. Damien responded with two more goals ending the quarter, 10-9.
“The third quarter definitely came down to who wanted the win more,” Riverin said. “We maintained our lead by one goal, which put us in a good position to finish strong defensively the next quarter.”
In the final quarter of the game, Fry made his second goal of the night, with a two point lead, 11-9. Although, Damien had a late response in the last minute of the quarter with a goal in their favor. Even though it was a close game, the Mustangs held out and ended the evening with a score, 11-10.
“We had to fight through some obstacles and a tough opponent,” Fry said. “ We did not have a great game, but we did have phenomenal resilience.”
The Mira Costa Mustangs are scheduled to host Woodbridge High School in the semi-final game at home on Saturday, November 9.
“I think we are going to play well especially being able to be at home with hopefully a crowd,” Carter said. “I hope we can get the win and move on.”
Leave a Reply