AGOURA'S CORSO SETS THE STANDARD POLO PROGENY READY TO BIGGER POOLS.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

AGOURA HILLS - The crayons held Meghan Corso's attention for only so long.

When Corso tired of poolside coloring and ventured into the water with the teams her father was coaching, it was a start to one of the area's most prolific water polo careers.

Thanks to a father who was a longtime coach in the U.S. national program, Corso grew up learning from some of the best players in the world. The Agoura High senior is a popular standard by which local female players are measured.

Before heading to Cal, where her father, Rich Corso, is the new women's head coach, the youngest member of the area's first family of water polo is closing out a decorated high school career.

She has shattered Marmonte League scoring records the past two seasons, collected a variety of honors and, this season more than ever, is displaying the breadth of her talent as she has top-ranked Agoura favored to win the first Southern Section title of her career.

``She's by far one of the best kids I've ever coached,'' said Agoura coach Jason Rosenthal, whose teams are perennial title contenders.

Such a career was the furthest thing from young Corso's mind. She played several sports as a youngster, and softball was her favorite. Even her nickname, ``Mookie,'' is from another sport, awarded by her father, a New York Mets fan, in tribute to former Met Mookie Wilson.

``When I was little, I didn't know anything about water polo,'' Meghan Corso said. ``I used to go to the practices with my dad; I was his carpool buddy down to Long Beach with that national team. But I was oblivious. I would just sit in the stands and color. Eventually, I got tired of coloring.''

As she chased down loose balls and splashed in the water, Corso was befriended by the country's top players. She was hooked by the time she attended the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, for which her dad was head coach of the U.S. men's water polo team.

Her ties with the sport's elite grew as her interest in the game increased. Beginning in the seventh grade, Corso would fly to Canada on weekends to play with an elite club team for older players. She's received instruction from leading international players and spent so much time attending U.S. men's workouts, team meetings and other functions in the four years preceding the 2004 Olympics, she seemed surprised she wasn't part of the official delegation to Athens.

``I think she thought she should have been going, too,'' said Rich Corso, a U.S. assistant coach in 2004. ``She did everything else, it was like she was part of the team.''

Some of her best friends are water polo's elite. Two-time Olympian Tony Azevedo, who plays professionally in Italy, is a longtime buddy.

``He and my sister used to have birthday parties together,'' Corso said. ``Our families have spent Christmas Eve together. He's like an older brother. I drive his car now. We're really close.''

Corso insists her life isn't consumed by water polo. Dinner conversations are more likely to be about school or music or other interests. But she does take advantage of her father's knowledge.

Rich Corso has been involved with the U.S. team since serving as the goalkeeping coach on the 1984 Olympic team. As the longtime coach at Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, where he coached until taking the Cal job, he mentored several players who went on to the national team or the pros.

``I think when I say, 'Clean your room,' it goes in one ear and right out the other,'' Rich Corso said. ``But when I talk to her about shooting or tactics, she listens. When we talk about polo, she's very attentive. I guess that's good. Playing defense is more important than cleaning your room.''

Scoring was an early forte for Corso, who now is focused on being a complete player. As a 10-year-old, Corso scored five goals in her first game with the Harvard Water Polo Foundation's 12-under boys' club team.

``It was just because she knew where to shoot the ball,'' Rich Corso said. ``She spent months watching the shooters on the Olympic team. A lot of college players still try to shoot through the keeper.''

Corso, who has played for the U.S. youth national team, scored a Marmonte League-record 136 goals last season to go with 32 assists and 50 steals. With a little more than a week remaining in the regular season this year, Corso leads Agoura with 55 goals, 22 assists and 26 steals.

``She won't score 130 goals again, but we don't need her to this year,'' Rosenthal said. ``We're a lot more balanced this year.''

Rival Royal of Simi Valley can testify to that. Two weeks ago, the Highlanders held Corso scoreless, but devoting so much attention to her on the perimeter left gaps inside and helped Agoura prevail.

``She's definitely a player that makes you change your whole gameplan around,'' Royal coach Devin Hurst said. ``That's a huge compliment when a team has to change its entire game for you.

``Her arm is an extraordinary weapon for them.''

Corso is happy to share the limelight with her teammates. While others score goals, she'll settle for fine-tuning new tricks and maneuvers that'll help in the long run - but she steps up when needed. She had two goals and five steals in a victory over nemesis Santa Barbara, which beat Agoura in last year's Southern Section Div. IV final.

Corso embraces the role of leader for a team loaded with underclassmen, wanting the top-ranked Chargers to remain dominant after she is gone. Teammates say they look up to her and respect her word as if she were another coach.

Opponents, too, think Corso is wise beyond her years.

``Coming in, she already had the knowledge as well as the experience,'' Hurst said. ``As a freshman, she came in and was playing like a senior. The pressure didn't get to her.''

Corso was one of the younger players last summer with the L.A. Water Polo Club's 20-under team, and she also played for its 18-under team. She won All-America honors at both levels.

``All I'm thinking about now is winning CIF,'' Corso said. ``I don't care about scoring records or any of that. My bottom line is I want to win a CIF championship. We want to win a CIF championship. I won't be upset if I don't score another goal this year if it means I'm doing something else to help the team win.

``I just want to win. Winning CIF would be the perfect way to end my Agoura career.''

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Agoura girls' water polo star Meghan Corso will join her father, University of California coach Rich Corso, in Berkeley next fall.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) CORSO