SOUTHERN SECTION WATER POLO PLAYOFFS : San Clemente Upsets No. 1 Corona del Mar

Before the season, many believed Corona del Mar and San Clemente would play for the Southern Section Division 4-A water polo title.

Tuesday, the teams met, and although it was only a quarterfinal match, San Clemente’s 14-13 overtime victory over the No. 1-seeded Sea Kings had the intensity of a championship.

It was the fourth time this season the teams met and the Tritons (25-4) evened the series at 2-2. There will be no rubber match, however. San Clemente, which had faltered in the regular season and entered the playoffs as the third team from the South Coast League, advances to play Dana Hills in a semifinal Saturday. Corona del Mar (25-3) is stopped short of the title game for the second consecutive season after winning three championships in a row.

San Clemente’s Bryce Matthews scored two goals in overtime, his second giving the Tritons a 14-12 lead with 1 minute 22 seconds remaining.

Ted Simpkins scored with 47 seconds left for the Sea Kings to make it 14-13. Corona del Mar got the ball back on a steal with 18 seconds left, but a pass from Austin Weir to Simpkins near the goal was knocked away and the Tritons’ Jeremy Laster ran out the clock.

Laster, a senior who plays for the U.S. junior national team, scored five goals for San Clemente. His third goal broke a 7-7 tie and his fourth on a four-meter penalty shot gave San Clemente a 9-7 lead with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter and capped a 6-1 scoring run.

In another 4-A match:

Dana Hills 6, Villa Park 5--Randy Larson scored two goals in the last minute to make it close for Villa Park, which finished the season 20-8. Alan Herrmann and Bret Bowen each scored two goals for fourth-seeded Dana Hills (22-4).