Despite record, Mundelein's standing tall

The Mundelein boys water polo team might very well be the best six-loss squad in the state.

With the exception of a loss to Barrington, all of the Mustangs' setbacks have come against ranked teams in Illinois or Missouri. Mundelein also has won the Lake County Invitational and has two victories over rival Stevenson to its credit.

"We try to play as many of the top teams as we can," Mustangs coach Rahul Sethna said. "We're pretty close. The losses we've had help us know where we are."

From a big-picture standpoint, this is about where Sethna thought the Mustangs would be at this point of the season. The Mustangs' defense, which is normally a strength, has been especially strong.

"We're not going to win games 15-5 like some other teams," he said. "We're winning because our guys have really made a commitment to defense."

A lot of that starts in goal with 7-foot senior Kevin Coughlin. Although Coughlin had success as a junior in his first year as a starter, he has become a much better all-around goalie.

This was the first time Coughlin played extensively over the summer and fall to prepare for the season. Coughlin is giving up a shade less than 6 goals per match.

"He realized last year how good he could be and he was one of our most dedicated guys," Sethna said. "He was able to get his legs a lot stronger."

Another player making rapid improvement is sophomore Pat Falconer. Against state-ranked Naperville North, he scored a team-high 4 goals. His biggest contribution, though, comes on defense.

"He's such a great athlete and probably our best matchup defender," Sethna said. "We'll stick him on whoever we think is the (opposition's) best perimeter player. He's been a little overshadowed but people will start to notice him."

Ricky Lukacs and Mike Begrowicz lead the Mustangs in scoring with 46 and 32 goals, respectively. Falconer and Mike Mihel each have 27 goals.

"Mike has done a great job as well," Sethna said. "He's one of our unsung heroes."