Fourth-year Long Beach Poly coach Ish Pluton is excited about his team’s chances this year, mainly because of the team’s great chemistry and some strong senior leadership, both of which were buoyed by a team trip to Hawaii in the summer.
“This team wants it, they’re all on the same page, they’re very hard-working,” Pluton said. “They really care about each other and they want each other to succeed — to me this looks like a team that has a ton of promise because of that.”
The team has a pair of talented goalies, both of whom are captains, in Ethan Evans and Isaac Zabukovec. The team’s other senior captain is Lance Gabriel, the team’s center guard and vocal leader in the pool.
“The team really follows them,” Pluton said.
Last year’s Poly team had a penchant for scoring but would put up double-digit goals in a loss, so they spent the offseason focusing on defense, which Evans, Zabukovec and Gabriel will help with.
Offensively, junior Nick Cruz is likely to lead the way, along with Charlie Pruett and senior Chase McPherson.
