Balanced scoring attack propels Burbank girls’ water polo in rout of Flintridge Prep
BURBANK — As one of three seniors on the Burbank High girls’ water polo team, Stella Aghakian will be counted on to provide leadership and be a bona fide scoring threat.
Things have worked out so far early in the season for Burbank, which saw Aghakian enjoy a big offensive performance Tuesday.
Aghakian and Lexi Lyneis each scored six goals to spur host Burbank to a 19-3 nonleague win against Flintridge Prep.
We have a lot of new players, so a lot of them have been looking up to me to be a leader and communicate,” Aghakian said. “We weren’t used to playing with each other, but now things are in sync.
“It’s now where everybody knows what they need to do to contribute. We were able to start off strong today.”
Burbank (2-0) held a 4-0 lead after the first quarter before scoring the first two goals of the second quarter to race to a 6-0 lead against the inexperienced Rebels (0-2). Aghakian had three goals in that stretch, including two in the first quarter.
“She’s been great and she’s such a big part of the team,” Burbank Coach Allyson Young said. “She’s one of our captains and she can give the team a lot of leadership.
“I thought we were ready to play and we got off to a very good start. We focused on playing good defense first. We were able to set up and get a lot of movement.”
Flintridge Prep broke through on a goal by Alex Tutwiler, a former All-Prep League selection, with 4:17 left in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 6-1.
Burbank held a 9-2 halftime advantage, though Flintridge Prep had some quality scoring opportunities during the first half. Burbank senior goalkeeper Kristine Khachikian made six first-half saves and finished with 14 saves overall.
“We got off a lot of shots and we hit some posts,” second-year Flintridge Prep Coach Claire Thomas said. “We’re getting better and they have a good attitude.
“We just need to work on some of the little things in the game, like learning to curve into the defender. It’s still early, but we are making some progress.”
Lyneis scored three goals in each half to compliment Aghakian.
Burbank, which held a 14-2 lead through the third quarter, also received two goals from Lia Ebrahimi.
Emma Flanagan scored two goals for Flintridge Prep.
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Charles Rich, charles.rich@latimes.com
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich