Locals Get Valuable Experience

Rosary senior Natalie Golda and Capistrano Valley junior Amber Stachowski took advantage of their unique opportunity to practice with and play against the U.S. women’s national team in the UPS Holiday Cup international tournament Dec. 8-12 at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center.

Golda and Stachowski even helped the U.S. B team earn a 10-10 tie with Russia, with Stachowski scoring the tying goal in the closing seconds.

The two high school stars joined former county standouts Jenny Lamb of UCLA and Jackie Frank of Stanford, who is on the U.S. B team. Lamb played at Marina and Frank at Los Alamitos.

And Golda and Stachowski found out first-hand how different the international game is from high school.

“It was much more physical,” Stachowski said. “The swimming, passing, everything was so much faster.”

Stachowski grew up with water polo. Her father Mike is the coach at Trabuco Aquatics Program (TRAP) where she plays club. Her younger sister Aimee is a freshman standout for Capistrano Valley and her older sister Ashley was The Times’ Player of the Year last season and is at UCLA this season.

Amber said Ashley passed up a chance to play in the UPS Holiday Cup to concentrate on her final exams at UCLA, but she and Golda were grateful for their chance to train with the nation’s best.

Golda, who has committed to UCLA, also got a chance to play for her future coach, Guy Baker, who also coaches the national team.

“It was nice,” Golda said. “I got to know him a little better. It also showed me I need to get stronger to compete at that level.”

And now Golda and Stachowski are adjusting back to the high school game.

“It seems like in high school, you touch a player and it’s a foul,” Stachowski said. “But with the national team, you could practically drown the girl and they still have to throw the ball.”

Golda said now she feels like a marked player.

“It’s like referees watch me now and they’re almost saying, ‘OK, let’s see what you’ve got,’ ” Golda said. “Last week when we played Costa Mesa, this one girl had me in a WWF hold with her arm wrapped around me, but there was no foul called.

“Other teams will have two or three players guard me now and I really hate that. But I know this all will make me better.”

YOUTH NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS

Stachowski, Golda, Marina junior Cara Chlebicki and Villa Park senior Kristyn Pulver will play for the women’s U.S. youth team in the Nor-Am tournament beginning Sunday at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center.

Also playing for the U.S. A team is Stanford’s Nicole Huszcz, formerly of Irvine High. Playing on the U.S. B team is Newport Harbor senior Kyndra Cox, and Foothill freshman Brittany Hayes will play with the U.S. C select team.

Games in the round-robin tournament are from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday and 9-11 a.m. Tuesday. The U.S. A team plays Canada’s Junior National A team at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

The men’s U.S. youth teams traveled to Victoria, British Columbia for the Nor-Am tournament, which began Saturday. Play continues through Wednesday.

If you have an item or idea for the girls’ water polo report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at mike.itagaki@latimes.com