|
 |
Eagles
WaterPolo Hosts Tournament, Wins League Games
by Spencer Green, Sports Writer
"We're playing well, and we have a very optimistic team," says
senior Jeff Volosin of the water polo team. After playing 8 games in
9 days, the varsity squad was ready for a break after their victory
against Milken Community High School on Thursday, October 5. In
Ocean League they are ranked 3rd, and have a record of 2-0.
Two days after the Crescenta Valley
game, the Eagles were set to play against the Rancho Bernardo
Broncos, a teaming hailing from north San Diego County. Despite
their best efforts, the Eagles could not contain the Broncos.
Scoring the winning goal with two minutes left to play, the Broncos
ended the game with a 7-6 victory. El Segundo's score was built up
by seniors Alex Heck and Volosin, who had one and three,
respectively. Also, juniors Matt Pittluck and Woody Lindsey scored
one goal each against the Broncos.
The next day in the Rancho Bernardo
game, the Eagles hosted the 37th annual Henry Stuart South Bay
Tournament, held in honor of former El Segundo coach Henry Stuart.
Starting on Friday, September 29 and going through Saturday 30, the
tournament pitted sixteen teams against each other in the two day
affair. The Eagles' first game of the weekend took place in the
early afternoon on Friday, against Calabasas High School. Easily
beating the Calabasas Coyotes, the Eagles enjoyed a solid win.
Scoring for the seniors were Volosin with 4 goals; Heck with 2; and
seniors Tyler Contarsy with two; and Joey Gumina with 1. Running up
the score for the juniors were Pittluck and Danny Rajaniemi with two
apiece; Lindsey, Jake Mark, and goalie Matt Kubeck also scored one
each.
Later that night the Eagles played
again, this time against Redondo High School. Four quarters later,
the Eagles won 3-2. Notching up the score were Volosin, Heck, and
Mark. The next morning, the Eagles played once more against the
Rancho Bernardo team. With the Eagles trailing throughout the first
three quarters, their fate seemed sealed. Then, through a twist of
fate, the Eagles were able to tie the Broncos in the fourth quarter,
causing them to go into overtime. Nobody scored in the first
overtime, although there were many close calls. But as the second
overtime ticked down to the last moment, the Broncos slammed home
the game winning goal. It was definitely one of, if not the, most
exciting games of the tournament. As many were getting ready for
Coronation that night, the Eagles were suiting up once more that
night to play Loyola High School. After a tough fight, the Eagles
were defeated 9-6. Scoring for El Segundo were seniors Volosin with
three and Heck with two, and Pittluck with one himself. The Eagles
ended the tournament with a fourth place title.
On Wednesday, October 4, the Eagles
traveled to Beverly Hills High School to duke it out with the rival
Normans. In a huge victory against the League rival Normans, El
Segundo came out of the match 10-6. This achievement was made
possible by Volosin with six goals, Heck with three and Rajaniemi
with one. The game was the first Eagles League victory of the 2006
season. The next day, Thursday, October 5, the Eagles played at home
against Milken Community High School. Expecting to beat Milken, the
Eagles casually prepared to face off against their opponents.
Throughout the whole game, the Eagles were ahead of Milken in
points. When the game was over, the Eagles had beat Milken 13-5.
The Eagles scoring was done by Volosin with five goals and Heck with
two, and juniors Pittluck and Rajaniemi with three apiece. After
dominating two League rivals in just as many days, the Eagles were
confident in how their season would play out.
The Eagles water polo has just begun
its season, and based upon how they performed in the recent past,
one can only imagine how they will do in the near future. On
Wednesday, October 11, the Eagles are set to face off in a League
match against Culver City High School at Culver City, and Varsity
will play in the North Orange County Tournament that weekend.
|
