Centaurs Water Polo Rules the Pool

Prior to his squad's nonleague contest against Manhattan Beach Mira Costa on Thursday, Culver City High boys water polo coach Nestor Dordoni Sr. predicted a close game.

“Mira Costa is always a challenge for us," he said. "They're a very good team.”

Okay, the Mustangs may be good, but Culver City proved it was the better team on this day, winning 18-14 at home and improving to 3-2 this season.

Assistant Coach Nestor Dordoni, Jr. agreed: “Most of the players on the Costa team are very good swimmers. Most have been swimming from a very young age in competitions or have surfed for many years. Also, they're very well coached.”

Mira Costa scored first and held a slight lead early, but the Centaurs took control of the game in the second period and led 9-7 at halftime.

Culver City remained in command throughout the second half, outscoring their opponents by one goal in each of the final two periods to increase the lead. However, it was the Centaurs' defense of the hole (denying the entry pass in front of the goal) that kept Mira Costa from mounting a late comeback.

The Centaurs' Olympic-size pool also appeared to be a crucial factor in the outcome. Culver City's superior conditioning showed in the second half as it produced numerous counterattacks off of steals and errant passes by the Mustangs, who had lost 18-7 at Laguna Beach a week earlier.

“When we play a school like Notre Dame, their pool is a lot smaller, so we have to work on playing in tighter spacing," Dordoni, Jr. said. "We're used to playing here in our own pool. We have to work on better passing and cutting down on our turnovers. That was a big problem today. Our upcoming practices will still involve a lot of conditioning, countering and posting up."

Cristobal Galvan led all scorers with seven goals and Pedro Dos Santos had six for the Centaurs. Dario Fantella added five goals and goalie Allesandro Furlan made eight saves.

“I'm still having trouble getting players to come to practice and being out sick," Dordoni, Sr. lamented afterwards, "You can't really practice as a team if you're missing three or four players. It’s a lack of dedication. Those who are showing up for practices, though, are doing well.”

The Centaurs host Santa Monica in their Ocean League opener Friday at 3 p.m. at the pool.

Rounding out Culver City's team are Aaron McKay, Michael Mendoza, Dario Fantella, Eric Beurgstrum, Tyri Guyton-Fisher, Erik Hyato, Bryan Kocker and Michael Rummelsberg.

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