Roughly a year after finishing the season with 10 consecutive losses for a record of 3-17, the 2025-26 Coronado High School girls’ water polo team is off to as good a start as possible.
In head coach David Throop’s first season at the helm, and after making the move from Division 1 to Division 2, the Islanders are 8-0 and have outscored opponents 114-47 in that span.
Throop said increased preseason training – which the Islanders did not have last year – may be key to the team camaraderie and early success.
“Part of that is learning aspects of a system, but most importantly, the camaraderie and teamwork that grew from those early trainings,” he added.
As evidenced by the wide scoring margin for the Islanders over the course of the season thus far, protecting the goal has been a high priority. Throop said the defense has been working well as a collective unit, with sophomore Inah Bingham, junior Ellie Machin and sophomore Aniella Orgill serving as the anchors.
“Our ‘help’ defense has been a nice element,” Throop said. “It still needs some work, but the girls are doing a good job of helping back to the center of the pool to neutralize positional advantages.”
Meanwhile, freshmen Audrey Roberts and Baleri Garces are leading the team in goals and assists, respectively.
This rendition of the CHS girls’ water polo team is very young. The squad is made up of one senior, three juniors, nine sophomores and four freshmen – with only six returners total.
“What I’ve been impressed with the girls in relation to their youth is the resiliency in situations that aren’t going their way,” Throop said. “Whether it’s an offensive possession that goes sideways or we give up a goal, their ability to move on and keep playing has been awesome.”
Throop spoke positively about how the team is playing on both sides of the ball, but made it clear that the recent focus has been on how the players move around the ball and set themselves up for success.
“We’re really spending a lot of time on spacing and working for positioning without the ball, which is crucial in many sports such as water polo, and that helps make the offense versatile and difficult to defend,” Throop said.
After winning eight games in a row in a short span, the Islanders now have a long break. Throop acknowledged the challenges that come with a winter sports schedule, which he said adds more importance to the practices held over the break.
“We regularly discuss the need to focus on our weak points in practice, so the group sometimes needs to be reminded why we’re looking at certain looks or reads when what we do well is available,” he said.
Despite the hot start for the Islanders, there’s a lot of regular season left, that goes into February and could extend for two more months depending on playoff schedules and results.
“The goal the team has right now is to be competitive as the season goes on, stay cohesive in negative situations, and support each other no matter the circumstance. In other words, be a team throughout the good and bad.”
