LJ g water polo 15, RB 6

Viking goalie MC Rendon makes a stop in the fourth
quarter against Rancho Bernardo.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's water polo team, winners of the El Nino Tournament in Irvine, jumped out to a 9-1 lead over Rancho Bernardo, and the Vikings only let their foot up on the pedal a little the rest of the way en route to a 15-6 win in the Broncos' pool as the afternoon sun faded Tues., Dec. 19.

"We get a lot of counter goals. We just try to keep using our speed," said co-captain Katie Koenig, assessing her teammates while sitting out on a concussion protocol. "We're really fast," agreed the other co-captain, senior Leslie Rendon.

Jensine Bugelli had scored eight goals before things had progressed very far in the match. After scoring back-to-back goals early in second quarter, the Vikings leading by a wide margin, Bugelli was pulled for a rest to let other team members have a chance to score.

But then, after the halftime chat, Coach Amy Jennings told her, "Jensine, go back in," at which point the junior almost immediately scored again for an 11-2 margin.

What was working for the Vikings?

Sophomore goalie Shauna Franke puts the ball
back in play after a defensive stop by the Vikings
in the second quarter.
 

"Keeping our heads in the game. We continued to push," said Rendon.

What do you try to work on when the game is basically a blowout like this one?

"We stop doing counter goals," said Koenig, a junior. "We work on drives, half-court (patterned offense), and picks."

These are similar to moves of the same name in basketball: driving toward the goal; working from a set offense, instead of fast-break/transition, called counterattack in water polo; and picks, blocking a defender to free up a teammate for a scoring opportunity.

For the Vikings, Bugelli (three times), sophomore Jessica Newell (twice), and senior Julie Shriver scored in the first quarter.

In the second period, Bugelli (twice) and Rendon scored.

Viking scorer Jensine Bugelli shows
intensity in the post-game huddle as
Coach Amy Jennings (foreground,
gesturing with hand) speaks to team.

Bugelli (twice), junior Leigh Ann Mallinger, and senior Kiley McClure scored in the third quarter.

Finally, Bugelli and sophomore Stephanie Babcock finished up with goals in the final period.
Sophomores M.C. (Maricarmen) Rendon and Shauna Franke shared time in goal for La Jolla.