Girls’ Water Polo: Breakers again top TOC

GOLETA --- A physical game is not necessarily the forte of the Laguna Beach High girls’ water polo team.

Yes, it’s true that the Breakers want to be a quick, counterattacking type of team.

But it’s also true that champions know how to adapt.

Laguna Beach overcame the physical play to beat Mater Dei in the title game at Dos Pueblos High, 11-6, and earn its third Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions title in four years.

Laguna senior captain Aria Fischer, who had a goal, two steals, two assists and three exclusions drawn in the final, earned tournament MVP honors. She was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow senior captain Bella Baldridge, who had three goals, two assists and three steals in the final.

The third senior captain, Claire Sonne, stepped up for a game-high four goals and two assists to help lift the top-seeded Breakers (14-0) in their toughest match of the season to date.

“Mater Dei’s a physical team, and I think they’re a tough team,” Laguna Beach Coach Ethan Damato said. “I think today we were a tough team as well. Every time we play them it’s a battle … they’re definitely a physical, strong, big team, and that’s not necessarily our style of play. Hopefully we proved tonight that we can play a physical brand of water polo as well.”

Junior Sophia Lucas had two goals and two steals for the Breakers against Mater Dei (10-3), which had upset No. 2-seeded Dos Pueblos, 9-8, in the tournament semifinals. Junior Evan Tingler added a goal, and fellow junior Isabel Riches provided a spark with two steals early in the third quarter, also dishing out an assist. Junior goalie Thea Walsh concluded a standout tournament with six saves.

The Breakers routed San Marcos, 15-6, in the semifinals earlier Saturday. They had blasted Mater Dei, 17-3, in the Holiday Cup final two weeks earlier, but the TOC final was more competitive.

The physical play wasn’t the only adversity Laguna had to deal with. The Breakers fell in a 2-0 hole in the first quarter after a pair of goals by Mater Dei standout junior lefty Grace Thawley.

“I thought we came out just not communicating very well in those first couple quarters, and obviously hat’s off to Mater Dei,” Damato said. “I thought they came out fired up, hit some nice shots and were playing at a fast speed. It took us a little bit to get going. Once we got going, I thought we were our normal selves defensively.”

Thawley, who was guarded by Fischer for much of the contest, would not score again. She fouled out in the third quarter. It was the latest defensive masterpiece by Fischer, who helped hold San Marcos junior standout Paige Hauschild scoreless in the semifinals.

The Breakers rallied to a 2-2 tie after a quarter, then took a 5-2 halftime advantage after goals from Lucas, Baldridge on a post-up and Tingler on an outside shot.

“The best part about that game is that we played through it, we played together and for each other,” Sonne said. “Despite all that physicality, we found ways to score and to be there for each other.”

Laguna Beach took a 9-3 advantage after the third quarter, holding Mater Dei to a single goal for a span of about 12 minutes before freshman Tea Poljak connected early in the fourth quarter.

“I’m so proud of my teammates, I love them all, and I thought that we executed on defense very well,” Walsh said. “We always try to emphasize defense first, then offense, because without defense you can’t win a game.”

Fischer led the Breakers with five goals in the semifinal victory over San Marcos, with Lucas scoring three times and Sonne and Baldridge two goals each. Alana Evans, Angelique Begay and Alex Peros added goals, while Walsh had to make just four saves, one of those coming on a penalty shot.

It was Laguna Beach’s second win over San Marcos in three days, after earning a 12-5 nonleague victory on Thursday night.

“We played awesome in the semis today,” Damato said. “That was a great performance by our girls all the way around … I thought we made some nice adjustments today. More than anything, our girls put their chances away.”

The Breakers resume Orange Coast League play when they host Godinez on Wednesday, then prepare for two key nonleague games next weekend. Laguna plays at Corona del Mar on Friday, before playing host to Mater Dei on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Monarchs, with their second straight tournament finals appearance, could be moving up to the No. 2 ranking in CIF Southern Section Division 1.

But for now, the Breakers can celebrate their third Tournament of Champions title in four years. Last year, they lost in the semifinals.

This year, the fact that no team has been able to get closer than five goals to Laguna Beach at this point of the season is telling.

“It’s our third TOC in four years, and we’ve been in the semis four years in a row,” Damato said. “I think that’s a pretty awesome feat. I think this is the toughest tournament in high school, and to win three out of four years is a testament to this group of seniors, this group of girls.”