Capistrano Valley Remains Undefeated in Water Polo

Another game, another victory. Things are getting awfully predictable for the Capistrano Valley High School water polo team.

Capistrano Valley made short work of Canyon Tuesday at Saddleback College, scoring the first eight goals of the game en route to a 19-2 victory.

The victory, coupled with Corona del Mar’s loss on Monday, left the Cougars (20-0) as the only undefeated team in Orange County. It also gave Coach Don Cholodenko a chance to answer his team’s critics.

“There are some people who are saying we haven’t played anybody tough and that’s why we have such a good record,” Cholodenko said. “I guess sooner or later we’ll find out if that’s right.”

Canyon came into the game with a 14-6 record, but it was clear from the outset that the Comanches were no competition.

The Cougars, who are ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section 3-A poll, took a 4-0 lead after the first quarter and held the Comanches scoreless until the final 15 seconds of the first half. By then, Capistrano Valley had an 8-1 lead.

Dan Hancock scored three goals in the first half and had four in the game. Kevin McCalley also had four goals for the Cougars.

Capistrano Valley disrupted the Canyon offense with pressure. The Comanches turned the ball over frequently, which led to some easy goals for the Cougars.

“We depend on our defense to ignite our counterattack,” Cholodenko said. “When we get on a roll, we seem to be able to put teams away.”

Cougar goalie Chris Bowman turned the Comanches away almost every time they managed to penetrate the defense. Bowman had a season-high 11 saves, including three on point-blank attempts.

“Best game of the year for Chris,” Cholodenko said. “Right now, everyone is playing great. We have everything in sync.”

And for Capistrano Valley, it couldn’t come at a better time. The Cougars’ South Coast League showdown with El Toro is a little more than a week away. The Chargers are the second-ranked team in the 3-A.

That game will decide the league title, and the winner probably will be the No. 1-seeded team going into the 3-A playoffs.