Eagles dominate, take out Koalas

COSTA MESA — Amber Peters’ face lit up when talking about water polo Tuesday soon after Estancia High beat Connelly, 18-2.

On the surface, the Eagles’ home win seemed just like an ordinary nonleague victory. But to Peters, the game was very special.

Peters had missed the past six weeks, out recovering from a double-knee surgery. She wasn’t supposed to return to competition until next month, but the senior was motivated to change the scheduling plans and make her senior year more memorable than just pain in her knees.

Just being in the water with her teammates appeared enough to make Peters happy, and a win proved to be a bonus. What’s more, Peters scored four goals, playing roughly 12 minutes.

“It’s amazing. I’m so happy,” Peters said of how she felt in her first game back. “Getting back in today was so much fun. I forgot how much I loved it.”

There was no love for the pain she felt just before the surgery. Peters said her kneecaps were out of place. Her tendons near the knee tightened. Doctors needed to move some of the tendons so the kneecaps would shift back to their original spot.

“I was supposed to come back in the middle of February,” Peters said. “But I pushed myself further than I should’ve and just strengthened my muscles as much as I could.”

Peters scored once in each quarter. She also helped out on defense, which was anchored by goalie Emily Kaplan. Kaplan finished with nine saves and nearly shut out the Koalas, who scored just one natural goal that came with 4:19 remaining. Their other goal was scored on a five-meter penalty shot early in the second period that put them within, 2-1.

But then the Eagles (7-7) closed out the half with an 8-0 run. Gracie Brestle, who was called up from the junior varsity, scored four goals in the quarter and finished with a season-high five goals.

The day did not solely belong to Peters. Brestle had some of the spotlight too, especially in that second quarter. She scored three goals in a span of 53 seconds.

Estancia Coach Jennifer Perry said she plays Brestle up whenever the opponent doesn’t have a junior varsity team.

“She’s really aggressive on the offensive end and has a real powerful arm,” Perry said of Brestle.

But Brestle and Peters aren’t Estancia’s only scoring threats. Actually, the Eagles most potent offensive threat is sophomore Kylie Carpenter. She scored four goals against the Koalas to up her season total to 36, which leads the team.

“It’s nice we have different players who can shoot,” said Perry, who was pleased with the Eagles’ performance. “I’m pretty happy with how they worked together and that they were working on press defense and playing against the lanes. They did a good job of stealing.”

For the Eagles, it was their second straight win since losing to Pacific Coast League powerhouse Laguna Beach, 19-1, Wednesday.

Estancia wasn’t expecting to beat the Breakers and treated the game more as a practice.

Realistically, the Eagles are trying to finish second in the league to qualify for the CIF playoffs. With just four teams in the league, there are only two playoff spots available. Sage Hill School does not have a girls’ water polo team this season. Perry said she had heard it was due to low participant numbers.

The Eagles knew they would have a team this year, yet they also knew it would be a very different team from the previous season.

Haley Kunert, who led the Newport-Mesa area in scoring with 73 goals, transferred to Edison. Kunert, a sophomore this season, earned first-team All-Orange Coast League honors last year, when she was also named to the Daily Pilot Dream Team.

She said she transferred to Edison so that she can play for a CIF Southern Section Division I program. That would better her chances to be able to play water polo in college, she said.

The Eagles say they have moved on, but they’ll get a reminder of Kunert when she and the Chargers come to play at Estancia Tuesday.

“I think we’ve adjusted to not having her,” Peters said. “We’ve become a closer team.”

It would be an upset if Estancia wins next week. The game is more of a preparation for the match following the one against Edison, Perry said. The Eagles will play host to cross-town rival Costa Mesa Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.

Nonleague

Estancia 18, Connelly 2

SCORE BY QUARTERS

C – Arat 2. Saves – O’Grady 6.

Est – Brestle 5, Peters 4, Carpenter 4, Andrews 2, Person 2, White 1. Saves – Kaplan 9.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].