Girls’ Water Polo Dream Team: Kapana was tough to crack
The humility of Newport Harbor High senior goalkeeper Carlee Kapana is as genuine as her talent in girls’ water polo.
Kapana won’t talk trash against rival Corona del Mar. But to find the reason the Sailors beat the Sea Kings all three times this past winter, one only has to look at the girl with cap No. 1 on her head.
Kapana made a combined 42 saves in the three games. Newport Harbor beat CdM, 5-4, in the Battle of the Bay game, then 7-6 in overtime in a Holiday Cup third-place game. Newport also came out on top of its rival, 5-4, in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions third-place game.
“If she didn’t play, or if she played a half a game like last year, we would have won all three Battle of the Bays,” CdM Coach Ross Sinclair said. “No doubt in my mind.”
Kapana’s own high school coach, Bill Barnett, retired following the season after 49 years at the school. Barnett, who has coached the Sailors girls since the program’s inception in the 1990s, also paid the UCLA-bound Kapana a great compliment.
In terms of girls’ goalies, Barnett said that Kapana and 2014 graduate Cleo Harrington were the two best he ever coached.
Last year, Kapana and Harrington shared time in the cage. This year, it was Kapana who stood alone as the Newport Harbor goalie in the spotlight. She responded, making an Orange County-best 317 saves and helping the Sailors win the Sunset League and advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals.
Kapana is the 2014-15 Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Player of the Year.
The Sunset League MVP garnered plenty more accolades along the way. She was an all-tournament team selection at the Tournament of Champions, and the Most Outstanding Goalie at the Irvine Southern California Championships. She was also a first-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.
It’s a good time to be Kapana, widely considered to be one of the best — if not the best — prep goalie in the country. On Monday, she was announced as the starting goalie for the U.S. senior women’s national team at the upcoming FINA Intercontinental Tournament in New Zealand, which begins April 28. Kapana is one of three Newport Beach natives on the team, along with Newport Harbor graduate Kaleigh Gilchrist and CdM’s Maddie Musselman.
Kapana has plenty of international experience, but this is her first tournament with the senior team. No one should expect it to be her last. Barnett knows what Kapana, who has superior leg strength which allows her to get well out of the water, brings to the table.
“First off, she’s a really great athlete,” Barnett said. “Second, she works really hard and constantly tries to improve herself. Plus, she’s really gregarious and happy. Never negative.”
Kapana said she was happy with her senior season. The Sailors went 23-7 and finished third at each of the three major in-season tournaments, achieving a top-three goal, despite missing Barnett for two stretches due to hip issues.
“I thought it was a good season for us, and for ‘Coach B,’” Kapana said. “We played really hard for Coach B, and for us too.”
Barnett is known for giving motivational quotes to his players. One that stuck out to Kapana over the years was a famous one from Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never give up!”
“He used that one a lot,” Kapana said. “It’s pretty simple to remember.”
Much simpler than getting a shot past Kapana.
Here’s a look at the rest of the 2014-15 Newport-Mesa Dream Team:
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Maddie Musselman
Corona del Mar
Musselman was the Newport-Mesa Player of the Year as a sophomore last year, and continued to lead the Sea Kings as a junior. The two-time Pacific Coast League MVP, Musselman had CdM team-bests of 98 goals, 58 steals and 37 assists. She was an all-tournament team selection at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions and Irvine Southern California Championships. The co-captain helped CdM go 23-7, win its 16th straight league title and advance to the Division 1 semifinals before falling to top-seeded eventual champion Laguna Beach. Sinclair said that Musselman, a first-team All-Division 1 selection, became more aggressive this season and started to develop more of a killer instinct. After the season, she de-enrolled from CdM to train full-time with the senior national team in hopes of making the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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Rachel Whitelegge
Newport Harbor
Like her close friend Kapana was known as one of the best goalies around, so Whitelegge was one of the best defenders. A very intelligent player, she never fouled out of a game despite going against all of the top centers in CIF. Whitelegge, also bound for UCLA, was third on Newport Harbor with 42 goals and 17 assists, and led the Sailors with 49 steals. Newport Harbor also benefited greatly from her outside shooting. Whitelegge was a first-team All-Sunset League and first-team All-CIF Division 1 selection. She also is a repeat Dream Team selection.
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Eliza Britt
Corona del Mar
Britt was a co-captain for the Sea Kings as a senior, and the Princeton-bound driver did not disappoint. Known for her tenacity and toughness, Britt had 69 goals and 46 steals, both second on CdM, as well as 18 assists. The versatile Britt teamed with Musselman to form a strong duo on the “one-two” (left) side of the pool. Britt was first-team All-Pacific Coast League and second-team All-CIF Division 1. She also is a repeat Dream Team selection.
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Chanel Schilling
Newport Harbor
Schilling was the Sailors’ primary center following the graduation of Christina O’Beck, and the senior responded. Schilling, bound for UC San Diego, led Newport Harbor with 54 goals and also had 20 steals and 11 assists. Barnett called her one of the most aggressive girls he’s ever coached, but she also became smarter about that through the year, drawing less offensive fouls. Schilling was a first-team All-Sunset League and second-team All-CIF Division 1 selection. She made the all-tournament team at the Irvine Southern California Championships. Schilling joins her older sister Elissia, now at UCLA, as a Dream Team selection.
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Heidi Ritner
Corona del Mar
Sinclair was not only effusive in his praise of Kapana, but he also had a great goalie on CdM’s side of the bay as well. He called Ritner, a junior, arguably his most consistent player, and it made sense after she made 230 saves on her way to first-team All-Pacific Coast League and first-team All-CIF Division 1 accolades. Always composed, Ritner continued to develop in her second year starting as CdM’s goalie. She was an all-tournament team selection at the TOC and SoCal Championships and appears primed for a big senior year. She is a repeat Dream Team selection.
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Kate Pipkin
Newport Harbor
The Sailors’ team captain, Pipkin was a versatile senior who could drive, counterattack and play at two meters on both offense and defense. Pipkin, headed to Indiana University, was second on the Sailors with 52 goals. She had a team-best 29 assists and was second on the squad with 37 steals. Pipkin was a first-team All-Sunset League and second-team All-CIF Division 1 selection. This is her second straight year on the Dream Team.
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Grace Morgan
Corona del Mar
Morgan, a senior headed to Cal, broke out big-time in the Sea Kings’ Division 1 playoffs quarterfinal match against Orange Lutheran. She matched a season-high with five goals in CdM’s 11-8 victory. Sinclair said he believes Morgan, who scored 40 goals to rank third on CdM and added 23 assists and 29 steals, will continue to develop at Cal. She was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League and second-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.
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Ellie Reid
Newport Harbor
The speedy senior lefty was a catalyst for the Sailors on the counterattack, as well as on six-on-five. Reid, bound for George Washington University, contributed despite a nagging arm injury. Barnett said he could see her truly blossoming in college. Reid was fourth on Newport with 41 goals and second with 24 assists, also adding 14 steals. She was a first-team All-Sunset League and third-team All-CIF Division 1 selection.
