C.V. FLUSTERS TUCAY AND BURROUGHS : CRESCENTA VALLEY 18, BURROUGHS 9.

Byline: Melissa Anderson Daily News Staff Writer

A water polo game can bear a striking resemblance to a chess game. At least that is the philosophy of Crescenta Valley High School coach Pete Loporchio.

Tuesday against Burroughs, the Falcons, ranked No. 2 in Division III, were supposed to see one of the area's best 2-meter men in Alfonso Tucay. Instead, Tucay ended up seeing one of the best defenses in the area. And as the 18-9 Crescenta Valley victory would suggest, it wasn't pretty.

Tucay was only able to get off seven shots in the entire game, and he was scoreless in the first half. In fact, every time the ball came anywhere near the Indians holeman, there was a Falcons defender there to counter his every move. And apparently, that was the plan all along.``It's like a chess match. Alfonso goes here, we go here,'' Loporchio said. ``Every move he makes, we have to have a counterattack.''

Tucay ended up with three goals on the afternoon, the final coming on a 4-meter shot with just 16 seconds remaining in the game to end the scoring.

The Falcons defense put on quite a show, adjusting to every move Burroughs made. And that versatility was made possible for the most part by goalie Brian Hasbrouck, who saved six shots and blocked another six.

Hasbrouck is regarded as one of the best high school goalkeepers around. And with him in the net, Crescenta Valley has a lot of options. And more importantly, its opponents do not.

``He is phenomenal,'' Burroughs coach John Kunishima said. ``He's the best goalie we'll see in this division.''

Crescenta Valley started out slowly, holding only a 2-1 lead after the first quarter. But three second-quarter goals by wingman Justin Payne sparked the Falcons offense, and they led 8-3 at halftime. Burroughs pulled to within 10-5 in the third quarter, but Crescenta Valley quickly scored on its next two possessions to kill any chance of a comeback.

The Indians may have been hampered because of the absence of transfer student Loran Leidenger, who was not allowed to play due to a mix-up in his paper work. A transfer from Burbank, Leidenger played in Burroughs' first six games. But the missing paperwork made him ineligible, forcing the Indians to forfeit six games. They are now 1-7 instead of 5-3. He should be cleared to play this weekend, Kunishima said.