PHOTOS: Northwood water polo team starts out season with three consecutive wins

Northwood senior Max Abravanel winds up for a shot for the Timberwolves. (Photos courtesy Michael An, For OC Sports Zone)

Northwood’s boys water polo team has started out the season 3-0 with victories over Division 3 opponents Tesoro, Edison and Costa Mesa.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

Senior Adroam Fontao makes a stop for Northwood.

Northwood senior Nicholas Miceli maintains control of the ball.

Niko Honda of Northwood applies the defensive pressure.

Northwood senior Chris Pukszta defends during a match.

Orlando Olague of Northwood (No. 15) defends during a match.

Junior Cameron An gets ready to take a shot for the Timberwolves.

Northwood junior Josh Sellwood defends for the Timberwolves.

Leo Glassman of Northwood gets ready to take a shot for the Timberwolves.

With a strong defensive effort, the Timberwolves beat Tesoro 11-1 to open the season.

The offense was led by All-American senior Max Abravanel, who had five goals. Sophomore Leo Giessmann had two goals, senior Gautam Chaudhri two goals and senior Austin Kenyon one goal.

Freshman Oliver Child made his varsity debut and also chipped in a goal. Defensively, Abravanel also led the team with five steals while senior co-captain Chris Pukszta had the second most steals with four. Senior Adrian Fontao had a solid 11 blocks to begin the season. 

After a slow start, the Timberwolves beat the Edison Chargers 13-8. Abravanel led with five goals and Giessmann scored four.

Junior Cameron An and Pukszta both scored two goals each to round out the offensive attack. Defensively, junior Josh Sellwood had a team high of four steals while Fontao had nine saves.

After an impressive first half, the Timberwolves held on to beat Costa Mesa 14-9. Abravanel continued his offensive dominance with five goals. Giessmann and An both scored four goals while sophomore Danny Kim scored his first goal of the season.

Defensively, Pukstza was solid with six steals. Fontao held the fort down with 13 saves.

Northwood continues non-league play with a home game against Aliso Niguel on Tuesday.

“I’m happy with the start of our season, but there’s still a significant amount of work to do,” said Northwood Coach Kyle Kim-E. “Our offense hasn’t been as explosive or intense as it has been in the past, but our defense has gotten a lot better.

“I think there’s a lot of room for improvement, but that’s normal for the beginning. I imagine we, along with many other teams, will fix some of our mistakes and get stronger as time progresses. I think we have some tough competition in D3 but we’re looking forward to the challenges ahead.”