Extending their win streak to 3, boys’ water polo beat Las Lomas 12-9 on October 16. After beating Las Lomas in a tournament on October 5, this is the 2nd time Campolindo has defeated Las Lomas in the 2013 season.
Currently boasting a record of 12-3, the team has only lost to Sacred Heart, Miramonte, and Santa Margarita. They prevailed over the Knights by just 3 points.
However, this was not as close of a game as their battle against Las Lomas during a tournament 2 weeks ago, which they won just 8-7.
Coach Miles Price was not happy with either performance. “We were in control during this game. But once again, we didn’t execute, and we didn’t finish the goals that we needed to finish. I’m not happy with either win,” he said.
The 1st quarter ended at 4-4. “At the beginning, I could see it being close like that. But, I think we should have pulled away. Our team played well, we had a lot of good opportunities. We just didn’t put them away,” Price said.
Junior Garrett Felix said, “I don’t think it should have been that close in the beginning. It should have been like 4-1, instead of 4-4, but we should have been up.”
Star players like goalie Spencer Tagg and co-captain Dylan Fara improved the score in the next quarter, according to Price. “Dylan had a great first half and Spencer played a really nice game, so I was really happy with them,” Price said.
Felix thought Tagg played a vital role in the win. “Spencer saved us hundreds of hundreds of occasions. He’s kept us in games where we should have lost, games where we were ahead and we should have been ahead by less or tied. He’s by far the star player,” he said.
New varsity recruits also contributed to the score. “Everybody that we’ve asked to step up, has stepped up. Our team’s a lot deeper than we were in the past, compared to previous seasons. We have the ability,” Price said.
In the 4th quarter, the Cougars earned 3 goals within the first 2 minutes of the 7 minute period. Price and the other coaches gave the team a pep talk before the last quarter: “Going into any fourth quarter, it’s make it or break it. If you have a lead, you’ve got to just take the wind out of their sails. 4th quarter, the game’s won or lost in the first 3 minutes. So if you can come in and have a solid scoring streak like that, we’re able to put in a lot of our subs and pull the victory off.”
Tagg said, “[The coaches told us that] we should destroy the team within the first 3 minutes, to crush their spirits.”
“This game, we just went in to win. It wasn’t as easy, but I think everyone played really well,” Felix said.
“I think we have the best top 6 in the league,” Price said. “We need to have 3-4 guys come off the bench and get in there and compete.”
