Sports
Centaurs Confident They Can Make A Splash
Culver City High water polo team will be without two starters on Wednesday when it takes on Santa Monica, which advanced to the CIF Finals a year ago and returns.
The Culver City High water polo team is preparing for a battle on Wednesday as they head to Santa Monica to take on the Vikings.
This is an Ocean League game the boys on the water polo team—and their coach—have been looking forward to for a while.
"It's big," said Coach Nestor Dordoni. "They are our rivals. It's going to be a fight."
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Santa Monica, which last season advanced to the CIF finals, return two big-time seniors U.S. Junior National Team member Marc Vonderweidt and 2009 all-CIF performer Maxi Vilim-Brozyna. The two have combined for 59 goals and 18 assists this season.
While beating Santa Monica will certainly be a challenge, the Centaurs are confident about their chances.
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Culver City started the season 6-0 before stumbling in four games during a tournament last weekend. The Centaurs went 1-3 overall, including a 7-3 loss to the Vikings. They'll be looking to avenge their tournament loss to Santa Monica on Wednesday in their first league game.
"Santa Monica is going to be a little tougher, but I have faith that if we work well, we can [win] it," senior Nikita Chizov said. "Now that we've had the tournament, we actually noticed how other teams work and play together. It gave us something we had to work on, and it made us closer because a loss is like a couple of wins put together, you learn more."
Victory over the Vikings won't come easily, though. Adding injury to insult at the tournament, the team lost two of its seven starting players. Goalie Kevin Basurto will miss the game with a knee injury and Dario Fantella, a wing, will be out due to a shoulder injury.
Despite the injuries, the Centaurs are looking to make a statement against a very good team. Culver City's top scorer, junior Cristobal Galvan, said the weekend provided the team with plenty of motivation.
"The tournament proved that we don't have what it takes right now," he said. "We learned our lesson. We just need more focus and more commitment."
Dordoni said that the lack of focus and commitment are part of his team's immaturity. The coach said overcoming that challenge this year will be the determining factor in how far they can go.
"They're very good, but they're really young up here," said Dordoni, pointing to his head. "But if they play up to their level, we can make it."
