Harvard-Westlake Victory as Good as Gold for Corso

Rich Corso smiled.

The hard-nosed, stone-faced coach of the Harvard-Westlake High water polo team--a water polo hard-liner and strict disciplinarian known for his Bobby Knight-like antics at poolside--couldn’t help it.

It wasn’t a grin, smirk or a beam either. It was a full-fledged smile.

Jason Malinsky, Billy Strickland and Phil Spataru scored in overtime to lift the Wolverines to a 10-9 victory over San Clemente in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division I playoffs Tuesday at Harvard-Westlake.

The third-seeded Wolverines will face No. 2 Foothill in the semifinals Saturday at a time and location to be determined.

It is the first time the Wolverines have advanced past the quarterfinals since 1992.

“The last time I smiled this much was in the Pan-Am Games,” said Corso, who coached the U.S. national team to a gold medal in the 1995 Pan-Am Games.

“It’s nice to be back in the final four.”

The Wolverines (22-4) advanced to the final four in five of six seasons between 1987-1992, including championships in 1988 and 1991.

But with Corso splitting time between the Wolverines and the National team--including a 1996 Olympic appearance--they had four consecutive quarterfinal losses.

Finally, behind the brilliant play of goalie Brendan Connolly, they got over the hump.

“It wasn’t really a monkey on my back,” said Corso, who left the national team job after the Atlanta Olympics.

“I haven’t been here the last four years. You lose it quickly, then it takes years to get it back.”

Malinsky’s overtime goal gave the Wolverines their first lead, 8-7, and after Strickland extended the lead to 9-7, Spataru sealed the victory when he scored with 1:10 left, giving the Wolverines a 10-8 lead.

The Tritons (18-7) led, 6-4, midway through the third quarter and their zone defense seemed to have the Wolverines baffled.

But long-range goals in the third quarter by Malinsky and Strickland pulled the Wolverines to within 7-6 and Mike Crosby, who had four goals, made a 12-footer off the right post that tied the score, 7-7, with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter.

That’s when Connolly, who had 12 saves, stepped up.

He stopped a one-on-one shot by Paul Wong on the Tritons’ next possession, then, elevating high above the surface, he reached down to block a close-range shot by All-American Jordan Hewko with three seconds left in regulation.

“I had to make up for a slow start,” said Connolly, who did not allow a goal in the fourth quarter. “There were some early goals I should have stopped. I guess it was just nerves. It took a while to get going.”