WATER POLO HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFFS : Toring Leads Harvard to Title Match

Rich Corso had trouble remembering the score moments after Harvard-Westlake High’s 11-8 victory over Muir in the Southern Section 3-A Division water polo semifinals at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach on Friday.

However, the Harvard coach has vivid memories of top-seeded La Serna, the Wolverines’ opponent in next Wednesday’s final. La Serna beat Royal, 13-5, in Friday’s other semifinal in Long Beach.

La Serna (27-3) defeated second-seeded Harvard, 10-9, earlier this season as well as in last year’s 3-A quarterfinals. Harvard, which will make its second appearance in a final in the past four seasons, beat La Serna to win the 2-A title in 1988. La Serna now has reached the final five consecutive years, losing the past four.

“We are a better ballclub than we indicated,” Corso said about Friday’s effort against Muir. “I think we were looking past this match to La Serna. I had to give the guys a talk at halftime to get them going.”

Jim Toring, who scored four goals to share team-high honors with Alan Paul, finally put the match away for Harvard (28-3). Three of his goals came in the final four minutes and broke a 7-7 tie.

Muir (22-6) closed to 9-8 on Jeff Hall’s fifth goal of the match with 2 minutes 25 seconds to play, but Toring scored on a breakaway and Paul added a goal with 23 seconds left to preserve the victory.

“I’m really stoked,” Toring said about meeting La Serna. “I’m sure they’ll be hungry for us and I think we will be the underdog. But that’s the way I like it because nothing is expected of us.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Peter Kiefer made eight saves and Ryan Salceda added two goals for Harvard.

In the other semifinal, Jack Kocur scored three goals, but Royal (25-4) was never in contention against La Serna.

Myles Bozinovski gave Royal an early 1-1 tie, but La Serna responded with four goals, including three within a 61-second span, to build a 5-1 lead after one quarter.

“They are a good team and probably the best team we have faced,” Bozinovski said. “I don’t know if we were nervous, intimidated or what, but I was stressed out from the beginning.”

Royal climbed to within, 6-3, on a goal by Mike Radka late in the first half but never threatened again and trailed by as many as nine, 13-4, in the fourth period.