As the girls water polo season is coming to a close, a review on the season is in order.
Overall, the varsity team did fairly well, a fact that Coach Nestor Dordoni Jr. emphasized: “Overall the girls have been playing well and […] it’s been pretty good.” With a total so far of 13 wins and 7 losses, the team has been playing a rather good season. The teamwork over the course of the season has been very impressive to watch, with the Girls Varsity playing brilliantly at times.
For instance, when the team played Mira Costa High School, a school with a strong aquatics program, the varsity team lost the game by only one point, with a final score of 8-7 in favor of Mira Costa. The hours leading up to the game had been nothing short of stressful, with the bus for the team being over an hour late, which left players with little time to warm up upon arrival. The game, which ended up being delayed, was amazing to watch, as the score between the two teams kept close, never with a gap of more then two points at any time. Despite the loss, the team did not feel regretful and rather felt much pride for how well they had played. All in all, the girls varsity water polo team has had a decently good season, and it has been a pleasure to watch.
Moving on to the girls JV team, their season has gone slightly less than optimal. Despite much growth from all members, the team has had 6 wins and 8 losses. However, JV Coach Kristian Miranda said he believed the ratio would be better if the first five or so teams that the varsity team played against had also had a JV team, as many schools only have enough girls for a varsity water polo team but not both.
The JV team had a lot of movement this season, as roughly half of the girls from last year’s JV team were moved up to varsity in the fall. Miranda said that the team could work on its communication, and as he pointed out, “We tend not to talk to each other on the other side of the pool, and when you do hear someone, it’s usually our goalie, or one word being yelled, and then total silence.” This is a challenge that the team has been working though, as over the course of the week that this article was being written, one could hear phrases or words dictating plays being yelled out in games more often.
The team is hoping to finish strong with their final tournament and has truly grown well this year, in both learning to play together and bringing new members in. The team does desperately need new players, as many seniors will be graduating this year from the varsity team, leaving a too small JV team.
“We need people to join, in order to keep the program running, and to me, this program is really like a family,” said Miranda.
When both coaches were asked about any statements that they would like to make in closing, Dordoni remarked “We need a pool,” which Miranda agreed with. Both coaches noted that without being able to control practice times, certain activities such as endurance training cannot happen as easily and improvements cannot really be made. However, both also mentioned that more girls were desperately needed to keep the program functioning. If you or somebody else would like to join the girls water polo team, the coaches implore you to consider taking the dive, with Miranda emphasizing, “It’s just fun.”
