Costa Mesa girls' water polo team falls in CIF quarterfinals

The young Mustangs squad made a deep playoff run despite early struggles.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Costa Mesa High girls' water polo team, led by first-year head coach Jose De La Jara, had a season of growth and reached the CIF quarterfinals for the first time since 2020 before falling to host Rowland 13-9 on Friday. The Mustangs, with only one senior starter, overcame a 0-9 start to the season to qualify for the playoffs and earn wins over Orange and La Quinta before their quarterfinal loss.

Why it matters

The Costa Mesa girls' water polo team's deep playoff run despite a young and inexperienced roster showcases the program's resilience and potential for the future. The team's ability to bounce back from an 0-9 start and make it to the quarterfinals highlights the coaching staff's development of the players and the team's growth over the course of the season.

The details

In the quarterfinal matchup, the score remained close throughout, with neither team leading by more than two goals until the fourth quarter. Costa Mesa sophomore Mia Walker led the team with four goals, while junior co-captain Violet Carlton added two goals and a team-high five steals. However, the Mustangs struggled with turnovers and exclusions, as Rowland held a 16-3 advantage in exclusions, leading to two Costa Mesa players fouling out.

  • The Costa Mesa girls' water polo team's season ended on Friday, February 14, 2026 with a 13-9 loss to Rowland in the CIF quarterfinals.
  • The Mustangs qualified for the playoffs after finishing second in the Empire League.

The players

Alyssa Soto

The only senior starter on the Costa Mesa girls' water polo team.

Jose De La Jara

The first-year head coach of the Costa Mesa girls' water polo team, who has long provided the program with players on the club side.

Mia Walker

A sophomore who led Costa Mesa with four goals in the quarterfinal loss to Rowland.

Violet Carlton

A junior co-captain who scored two goals and had a team-high five steals in the quarterfinal match.

Harper Alexander

The Costa Mesa junior goalkeeper who was able to block two penalty shots and recorded nine total saves.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We started off with new girls that haven't really played. Really, just growing together as a team and having those bonding moments, being able to make it this far was a really great accomplishment.”

— Alyssa Soto, Senior co-captain

“Obviously, from not winning a single game and to start winning toward the end, I'm very proud of the girls. I think we did great. The girls overachieved.”

— Jose De La Jara, Head coach

“I felt like we had a really good fight. We never gave up and continued playing. It was a tough game. One of our fastest swimmers [Tessa Tougas] got excluded, and that was really hard. But I felt like we did pretty good for what we had in the pool, and all of our new players.”

— Mia Walker

What’s next

Rowland will move on to play West Covina Edgewood in a Division 5 semifinal match on Tuesday.

The takeaway

The Costa Mesa girls' water polo team's deep playoff run despite a young and inexperienced roster showcases the program's resilience and potential for the future. The team's ability to bounce back from an 0-9 start and make it to the quarterfinals highlights the coaching staff's development of the players and the team's growth over the course of the season.