The Costa boy’s water polo team found themselves in another tightly contested match that would be decided by one goal. However, this time, unlike their 7-6 triumph over Tesoro in the quarterfinals, the Mustangs found themselves on the other side of the scoreboard. They were beaten 7-8 by ML King High School of Riverside in a fierce and intense D3 semifinal match this Wednesday at the William Woolett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine.

In their two previous meetings this year, both schools earned a victory over the other in two very close matches; this game proved no different. In a match dominated by tough defense and physical play, the Mustangs found themselves trailing almost the whole time, and were never able to wrestle the lead away from King. Despite executing their game plan well and creating many chances, the Mustangs could not find the finishing touch around the net. “We failed to execute some minor things and that was the difference” senior Sam Siltanen said. The game was wire to wire until the end, as Costa failed to convert what would have been the game tying score as time expired. “It was a great game always within a one point difference” said senior captain and goalie Ian Zaun, “It wasn’t our night. We had many shots on goal that didn’t go in”.

The last-second loss for the Mustangs seems to be an unfitting way to cap what was a fantastic season. The team was tested early on with their extremely difficult non-league schedule. However, the difficult schedule payed off. The Mustangs went undefeated in Bay League and captured another title over bitter rival Palos Verdes.
“We had a good season. We worked hard this season and worked together really well” said Siltanen. “Unfortunately you can’t guarantee anything.”

Click here to watch Sam Siltanen’s Game Winner Against Tesoro.