Harvard-Westlake Drops Water Polo Final in Overtime

Harvard-Westlake High’s drive for a Southern Section Division I water polo title came down to a matter of inches Wednesday night at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

But it was El Toro’s John Simmons who measured out the victory. His power-play goal bounded high off the left post 30 seconds into double overtime, lifting the top-seeded Chargers to a 10-9 win.

Simmons’ goal came 14 seconds after the Wolverines’ Ryan Salceda had been ejected for a foul in the hole area.

Using strong defensive pressure after a sluggish start, third-seeded Harvard (28-3) rallied to a 9-7 lead with 3 minutes 40 seconds left in regulation on goals by Salceda and Jim Toring.

Salceda’s score, which gave the Wolverines their first lead, came after he hustled after a loose ball in the left corner and whipped a shot past goalkeeper Jason Murray as time expired on the shot clock.

On Harvard-Westlake’s next possession, Toring followed with a low shot just inside the left post from the outside. But seemingly in command, the Wolverines failed to score again.

El Toro’s Daniel Mathot scored on a power play with 2:59 left, and teammate Brent Stoll (three goals overall) bounced a shot off the left post, tying the match with 1:35 left in regulation.

Both squads squandered opportunities during the remainder of regulation and the first overtime.

The Chargers (30-1) roared to a 5-3 first-period lead before the Wolverines worked their way into the match behind four goals by Toring and a stout defensive effort from Lance Weidner, Ronald Scott and Salceda.