CdM loses game but not confidence

Steve Virgen

Coach Mike Evans and his Corona del Mar High boys water polo team

endured their first loss of the season, an 8-4 nonleague setback to

visiting Harvard-Westlake Thursday.

But if the Sea Kings had the confidence of their first-year coach,

things might have been different. Shortly after a postgame meeting

with his team, Evans, who was hired less than a month ago, expressed

little concern about what lies ahead.

“I’m not even worried [about Thursday’s loss],” Evans said. “We

have the horses to get it done. It’s just a matter of getting a

little smarter and getting more experience as a group.

[Harvard-Westlake, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division I,

is] one of the top teams. I’ve seen some of the best teams and it’s

just a matter of us honing our skills. We can match up with anybody.”

Evans said the Sea Kings, ranked No. 7 in CIF Division I, have yet

to grasp the confidence he has in them. He also said CdM will be a

different team week after week.

“Once they all get that confidence, they will be a tough team,”

Evans said. “For as much time as we’ve had to work together, we did a

good job. I’m pleased because I know we have some time to work and,

by the end of the season, we will be a different team.”

As for the 8-4 loss to Harvard-Westlake, Evans thought the Sea

Kings could have been in the game, but they missed two four-meter

penalty shots. If they made both, they would have been down, 7-6,

with 3:35 remaining.

“We beat ourselves,” said Evans, a former UC Irvine All-American

who played for three United States Olympic teams. “When we made

mistakes, they capitalized. But the good thing is, I don’t think they

beat us. We beat ourselves, so I’m not really worried about the

matchup. We just have to figure out how to play our game a little

better.”

Harvard-Westlake Coach Rich Corso, who coached the 1996 U.S.

Olympic team that Evans played on, noticed the Sea Kings’ potential

and came away with respect for CdM.

“They’ll be a much better team in about six weeks,” Corso said.

“They’re getting to know their new coach right now. The thing I

noticed is that if you leave one of those kids alone, they’re going

to put the ball away, and that’s Evans’ influence because he was a

great shooter. He has all that Olympic experience so he’s going to do

a nice job here.”

The Wolverines (6-0) built a 3-0 lead, scoring two goals in the

first period and another 39 seconds into the second period. CdM (1-1)

did not get on the scoreboard until 3:33 left before halftime, when

sophomore Tom Money scored on an extra-man opportunity.

But a minute later, Harvard-Westlake took a 4-1 lead when Will Hindle-Katel put one away on a counterattack. Then, with 20 seconds

left in the half, the Sea Kings had their four-meter shot blocked.

The Wolverines opened the third period with their biggest lead of

the game when Erik Vreeland found the cage with a backhand shot.

However, CdM scored two goals in a two-minute span.

CdM junior Thomas Pearson scored both goals, finishing off assists

from seniors Daniel Niehenke and Nadeem Hakim, to pull to within,

5-3. The Sea Kings nearly cut the lead to one, but Harvard-Westlake

defended well while a man down and stuffed CdM with three minutes

left in the third period.

The Wolverines scored after turning away CdM on that possession

and they also took advantage of an extra-man chance with 5:41

remaining to lead, 7-3.

CdM sophomore Jacob Murphy rounded out the scoring for the Sea

Kings with an outside shot to beat the shot clock with 4:10 left.

The Sea Kings continue taking on the best teams in CIF Division I

today at 3:15 p.m. when they host Foothill, which is ranked No. 3.

*--*

Nonleague

Harvard 8, CdM 4

Score by Quarters

Harvard 2 2 2 2 -- 8

CdM 0 1 2 1 -- 4

Harvard -- Vreeland 2, Hindle-Katel 2, Cosbie 1,

Rappel 1, Flacks 1, Weintraub 1. Saves -- J.

Connely 5

CdM -- Pearson 2, Money 1, Murphy 1. Saves --

Sanford 7

*--*