LJ g water polo 12, Agoura 3

Junior Sydney Boland applies pressure on

Agoura's Sawyer Alter (2) in 13-3

Vikings win. (Photos by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Under a full moon, La Jolla's water polo team was howling as Ciara Franke and company launched out to an early 4-2 lead en route to a 12-3 victory in the second round of the America's Finest City Tournament Fri., Jan. 22.

Franke, playing big in the two-meter position in front of the goal, scored the Vikings' first, second, and fourth goals, all in the first half.

When Franke, with her back to the goal, receives the ball that close to pay dirt, the average defender is going to find it pretty difficult to stop her. She's physical, and she's obviously playing with a lot of confidence, as are her teammates on the 17-1 Vikings.

On the merits of La Jolla's second straight win to open the tournament in its home pool Friday, Coach Keller Felt's squad will play an 11 a.m. quarterfinal Saturday at the Brian Belt Memorial Aquatic Center on the Coronado High campus.

Said senior captain Claire Andrews, "Our defense has been pretty unstoppable. We gave up only five goals in the two games today."

Echoed teammate Nicole Bertrand: "Our defense makes our team."

The Vikings' Ciara Franke (10) imposes her will

inside from the two-meter position.

 



Sydney Boland led scoring with four goals. Lexi Atwell and Karli Canale each scored two goals. Kira Bruno added another goal.

Before the game, assistant coach Tom Atwell, walking without a crutch after suffering a stress fracture last weekend, was discussing the intersplicing of tournaments into the league schedule. "It gives a team the chance to try some things out against teams that they don't normally play," he said as one advantage, "before CIF playoffs."

After the game, his daughter Lexi said, "I'm going to sound somewhat similar, because tournament play does let us try some things out." She continued: "They (tournaments) are tiring."  She was speaking later in the evening, after watching the Viking boys basketball team defeat University City. By then, it was after 9 p.m. on a school day after playing two full water polo games.