DAILY PILOT DREAM TEAM GIRLS’ WATER POLO:

When a five-meter defensive situation comes for Corona del Mar High senior goalie Kate Baldoni, her eyes turn to the shooter.

Baldoni doesn’t say much, nothing at all really. She just stares at the shooter.

Look into Baldoni’s eyes. They can speak volumes.

“I enjoy five-meters,” Baldoni said of the penalty-shot situations. “I stare at the person about to shoot. I look into their eyes and I think in my head, ‘You’re not going to make this.’ ”

Most of the time, Baldoni’s head was right. The Stanford-bound standout recorded 265 saves on her way to a handful of honors throughout the season for the Sea Kings. Among the achievements she is this year’s Daily Pilot Dream Team Player of the Year in girls’ water polo.

She found out Saturday amid her short visit to Stanford. She was in Palo Alto, visiting friends and she also watched the top-ranked women’s water polo team beat No. 3-ranked UCLA, 9-8.

Next year, as a freshman, she’ll most likely end up backing up Amber Oland, who will be a junior, along with the Cardinal’s other goalie, Kim Hall. For Baldoni, it will be like she’s starting over.

She was behind great goalies at CdM too when she was starting out, following in the line of Brittany Fullen, who’s now at UCLA, Tumua Anae, who’s at USC, and Kate Murphy, now at UC Santa Barbara.

“It’s going to be a lot of hard work,” Baldoni said. “But it will be worth it.”

Baldoni is looking forward to it. Her love for defending five-meter shots shows she’s not one to back down from challenges. Plus, she knows she fits in well with the Cardinal. She has friends there already she said. And at Stanford, she’ll join Mimi Bury, the former Newport Harbor standout who shared the Dream Team Player of the Year honor with Baldoni last year. Also, fellow CdM senior Victoria Kennedy, who is on this year’s Dream Team, is headed to Stanford as well.

“I’m really excited,” Baldoni said during a phone interview from Palo Alto. “I know the girls and I just love the team. It should be a good experience.”

Baldoni had quite an experience during her time at CdM.

As a freshman, she was a call-up to the varsity during the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs. She had a save during the title game when the Sea Kings won the championship.

As a sophomore she started the season, splitting time with Murphy, who became the starter midway through the year. Then came Baldoni’s junior year when the cage was all hers.

She helped the Sea Kings reach the CIF Division I championship two straight years. Her defense proved to be an advantageous ripple effect, as it helped CdM contain opponents to mostly outside shots. Then after a save, Baldoni would quickly help lead a counterattack.

Still, her two stellar years, which also resulted in 608 saves, and two Pacific Coast League Player of the Year awards (this season, a share), were both bittersweet.

The Sea Kings weren’t expected to win the CIF Division I title when Baldoni was a junior, but they had it in their grasp as they lost a three-goal lead to Back Bay rival Newport Harbor in the championship match.

This year, CdM had just one loss entering the CIF Division I championship game, but it was to Dos Pueblos, which won the title game, 3-2.

The Sea Kings (33-2) did finish the year winning the CIF Masters Tournament, as Baldoni had 16 saves in CdM’s 9-4 win over Newport Harbor in the title match.

“Just making it to the final game both years is a big accomplishment for the team,” Baldoni said. “Looking back on the season, I feel like we played real well. We can’t let one game ruin how we felt about our season.”

In addition to their Masters’ title, the Sea Kings won the Irvine Southern California Championships for the first time in school history. Also, many believe the 2008-09 CdM team is the deepest to go through the decorated program.

Baldoni certainly stood out on the talented team. Even entering the season, she knew much was expected, mainly from the attention she received while competing for the USA women’s junior national team.

In July, she had 11 saves to help the Americans to a 10-8 win against Australia in the title game of the “Born in ’90” Global Championships. She was named the Most Outstanding Goalkeeper of the tournament, leading Team USA to seven straight wins after an opening-day loss.

Then, after the summer, she starred for CdM. Yet, winning and earning honors wasn’t what Baldoni remembers most as she prepares to graduate.

“I think of the group of friends I have and how close we’ve become,” said Baldoni, a two-time All-CIF Division I first-team selection. “That’s the main thing I think of.”

The rest of the Dream Team includes:

HEATHER VAN HIEL

Corona del Mar

The senior utility player, bound for UCLA, was perhaps best known for her excellent defense on Dos Pueblos standout Kiley Neushul, the Division I Player of the Year.

Van Hiel was also a solid scorer for the Sea Kings, compiling 49 goals. She also had 46 assists and 66 steals. A Dream Team member last year, she was named Co-MVP of the Pacific Coast League this season. Last year, she was on the All-PCL first team.

She also earned All-CIF Division I first-team honors for the second straight year.

NICOLINA McCALL

Newport Harbor

The senior driver bound for USC is also a repeat Dream Team selection. She always seemed to come up with the big shot at the right time.

She had 81 steals, 70 goals and 40 assists on her way to being named Sunset League Player of the Year. She was also a CIF Division I first-team pick for the second straight year, as she helped the Sailors to a 26-8 record and a CIF Division I semifinals appearance.

VICTORIA KENNEDY

Corona del Mar

The senior two-meter player bound for Stanford led the Sea Kings with 58 goals. The first-team All-CIF Division I honoree found various ways to score, at times overpowering opponents. The All-Pacific Coast League first-team member also had 26 steals and 14 assists, helping Coach Aaron Chaney’s Sea Kings win the league championship.

KALEIGH GILCHRIST

Newport Harbor

The junior driver led the area in goals, scoring 97. She earned second-team All-CIF Division I honors with a versatile game that also produced 72 steals and 48 assists, helping Coach Bill Barnett’s Sailors win the Sunset League.

Gilchrist, a first-team All-Sunset League pick, just might be the area’s top player next year, so long as she continues to balance water polo and surfing. She is one of the best surfers in the nation, making the U.S. junior national traveling surf team that is competed in the International Surfing Assn. World Junior Championships in Salinas, Ecuador this week.

ELISE MOLNAR

Corona del Mar

The senior utility, bound for Harvard, had 50 goals for the Sea Kings. The All-CIF Division I second-team selection was a key player in CdM’s run to the Irvine Southern California Championships. Molnar, who also earned first-team All-Pacific Coast League honors, scored eight goals in five wins for the tournament title.

HANNAH SPEER

Costa Mesa

The junior was the Mustangs’ primary two-meter defender, recording 84 steals. She also scored 43 goals and had 11 assists on her way to first-team All-Orange Coast League honors. She helped lead Coach Tim Postiff’s Mustangs to a second-place finish in the OCL behind CIF Division II champ Laguna Beach. Costa Mesa (16-14) lost in the first round of the CIF Division II playoffs, 17-8, at Tesoro.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].