Weather Wins Match Between Redondo, Mira Costa

The elements dictated the outcome of the water polo match on Tuesday between Mira Costa High and Redondo Union. There wasn't one.

Rain, wind and lightning forced officials to postpone the outdoor Bay League clash between the rival schools after three periods with the host Mustangs leading 7-4. The match will resume on Nov. 11, when the schools are scheduled to meet again.

Redondo might have been the beneficiary of the postponement.

The Sea Hawks, who defended the Mustangs well in the first half, endured a rocky third period. They were held scoreless until Skyler Ulrich scored with 15 seconds remaining, snapping a string of four consecutive goals by Mira Costa, which shook off a shaky first half before dominating in the third.

"We played sluggish and they played well in the first half," Mira Costa Coach Jon Reichardt said. "We played great defense, but we just didn't put our shots away. That's been the name of the game for us lately.

"Sometimes it takes us longer to warm up. Then all of sudden it was boom, boom, boom. That's how we are. I don't know what that's all about. But once we get into a rhythm, things start clicking."

Redondo Coach Mark Rubke said Mira Costa didn't click in the first half because it might have lacked its usual spark.

"We felt very good about playing a close first half," Rubke said. "Mira Costa responded in the third quarter by counter attacking us and creating some significant openings. They responded quickly to our turnovers and started increasing their counter-attack tempo. That's where the game started to swing.

"But Mira Costa didn't appear to be playing a very inspired game today. I think we caught a little bit of a break (in the first half) because several of their shots weren't going in and that's not typical for Mira Costa. I think they were a little uninspired because we haven't been very competitive with them."

That wasn't the case in the first half. Though both teams struggled to generate much offensively, Redondo held its own, finishing the first half tied at 3.

Mira Costa picked up the pace in the third period, beating the Sea Hawks back on offense and scoring easy goals. Mira Costa's Jake Miller provided a major spark, scoring three of his four goals in the period.

A goal by Connor Caine with 3:04 to play in the third gave Mira Costa a 7-3 advantage and the Mustangs appeared on the verge of blowing the contest open. But Ulrich responded with a goal for Redondo near the end of the period to stop the run.

Lightning forced officials to delay the start of the fourth period before they postponed the match about 30 minutes later when a strong wind and rain began to drench the area.

In addition to Miller, Caine played well for Mira Costa (12-5, 2-0). He scored two goals and Trevor Tarte added another.

Jake Kirchner, Adam Rudow, Ethan Peak and Ulrich each scored for Redondo (10-11, 1-2).