Danielle Carlson

Steve Virgen

When Danielle Carlson is looking to score, it’s hard to tell.

The Corona del Mar High senior has deceiving moves when playing

for the Sea Kings’ girls water polo team. On land, she would be the

equivalent of, say, a Harlem Globetrotter, simply because she likes

to trick people: make defenders think she is going one way, but then

goes the other.

In the water, it’s sometimes easy for a defender to make up for a

mistake, but Carlson makes them pay with her eye and ball fakes. They

have little or no time to react when Carlson looks left and shoots

right.

She scores.

Carlson has scored 61 goals through games that ended last week.

That leads the Sea Kings, who wrapped up their fourth straight

Pacific Coast League title last week and are serious contenders to

win the CIF Division II title.

“I rely on my brains to get through the games,” said Carlson, who

also has 30 assists. “It’s fun to try to mess with people a little

bit. It keeps the game interesting. One of my signature moves is to

look in the opposite direction when I shoot (an outside shot). In

practice, the girls know that now so they never watch my eyes because

it messes them up.”

Carlson, CdM’s senior driver who is listed at 5-foot-8, 125

pounds, is sometimes at a disadvantage because of her size. But her

knowledge of the game and her smooth moves make her the intimidator.

“She’s probably the smartest girl on our team,” CdM Coach Aaron

Chaney said. “She just sees a lot out there. She creates a lot of

scoring chances. There are players who make things happen and she’s

one of those players. She makes things happen not only for herself,

but for others too.”

Said Carlson: “A lot of people call me the quarterback. My mind is

going 100 miles per hour. I’m small and I’m not the fastest one, but

I rely on my brains.”

Carlson’s skills could lead her to earning a scholarship for a

NCAA Division I program. UC Berkeley, as well as Princeton, have been

keeping a close eye on her this season, try as they might.

“She’s always moving,” Chaney said of Carlson’s water polo savvy.

“She’s always finding the open water. She’s always looking to people

who are open.

She’s just really aware. She’s very bright. She knows where to

look and what to look for.”

Carlson nearly led the Sea Kings to a victory over Foothill in a

physical semifinal match in the Irvine Southern California

Championships at CdM last week. Carlson, as well as teammate Daniela

DiGiacomo, had her swimsuit ripped.

Undefeated Foothill held off a strong comeback by the Sea Kings

and won, 9-7. Carlson, the Daily Pilot of the Week, scored two goals.

She tallied 15 goals in the five tourney games, leading the Sea Kings

to a third-place finish in the tournament. Carlson also earned

all-tournament team honors.

“We realized we can beat them,” Carlson said of the loss to

Foothill. “That showed that you have to come and stick it to them

from the start. I really think we outplayed them in the final three

quarters. I was proud of our ability to come back. It’s easy to say,

we lost, and give up because they got up by so much. But we kept

going. It was frustrating to lose that game.”

Carlson and the Sea Kings ended the tournament on a high note.

They defeated Santa Margarita, 6-4. Carlson scored two goals, dished

out two assists and recorded one steal.

Carlson, who helped lead CdM to its first CIF Division IV girls

water polo title last year, has been an important piece of the puzzle

this season for the PCL champions. She is also smart enough to

realize her teammates and Corona’s chemistry is what has led the Sea

Kings to the elite status in girls water polo.

“Most of these girls, the core group, have been playing together

since junior polo,” she said. “That gives us rhythm when we are

playing. We have a lot of talent on this team. We are one of the

closest teams around. We are best friends. Our team, we all just fit.

When new girls come in they just come in and we all flow together.”

The Sea Kings’ chemistry will be extra important as CdM prepares

for the CIF Playoffs. Corona will be the team to beat.

“This season we are one of the elite teams,” Carlson said. “Last

year put us on the map a bit more and that has been important to us.

Last year we were more of an underdog team. This year more teams are

looking to beat us and take us down. That gives a different

motivation.”