Los Alamitos Turns Back Long Beach Wilson, 9-6

Shelli Linza scored seven goals in Los Alamitos’ 9-6 victory over Long Beach Wilson in the championship game of the Southern California Championships girls’ water polo tournament, but afterward Wilson Coach Ricardo Azevedo was only talking about goalkeeping.

Azevedo said Los Alamitos goalkeeper Jackie Frank and her 11 saves were the difference Saturday at Heritage Park in Irvine.

“If anything, we outplayed them in the field and they outplayed us in goal,” Azevedo said. “[Frank] had maybe seven or eight one-on-nobody stops. She’s a great goalie.

“I should know.”

Azevedo is quite familiar with Frank because she played for Wilson until this school year. Frank transferred to Los Alamitos last summer after she and her family became dissatisfied with the way the girls’ program was being handled at Wilson.

There were hard feelings, Frank says, and they aren’t completely healed, which made Saturday’s victory especially satisfying.

“A lot of them think I’m a traitor,” Frank said, “and a lot of them don’t like me.

“It’s easy to get up for a game when a team doesn’t like you much.”

Wilson seemed to fear Frank Saturday, and the Bruins (22-2) managed only one goal in each of the first three quarters.

Frank, a junior, was named the outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament.

She was especially tough on the Bruins in the second quarter. Wilson’s Brianne Barth had three one-on-Frank opportunities and came up empty.

Los Alamitos Coach Tony Martinho praised Frank’s play and said Kristin Guerin and Amy Valois also had outstanding games on defense. “Our defense has been the key to our season,” he said. “It played out that way in this tournament and in today’s game.”

Los Alamitos (24-0) picked its spots on offense, and when Linza scored on the power play off an assist by Kristin Guerin with 3 minutes 59 seconds left, the Griffins had an 8-3 lead.

That seemed insurmountable with Frank and company in the way, but the Bruins broke the spell, scoring three consecutive goals--two by the previously shut out Barth--to make it 8-6 with 2:06 left.

But Guerin made a spectacular crossing pass from mid-pool to Linza, who put in her seventh goal--and fifth consecutive for the Griffins--with 1:06 left. It was the third assist for Guerin, who scored the Griffins’ other two goals. She also had a team-high three steals. Linza was named the tournament’s outstanding field player.

The Bruins, whose only losses this season were to Los Alamitos, beat Coronado, 8-7, in the semifinals.

In the third-place game:

Irvine 5, Coronado 4--Nicole Huszcz scored three goals and Kirsten Mayberry had 11 saves for Irvine (22-3).

In one semifinal:

Los Alamitos 5, Irvine 0--Guerin scored three goals for the Griffins. Frank had five saves in the shutout.

In other consolation games:

Marina 8, Santa Barbara 1--Jenny Lamb had two goals and nine steals as Marina (16-5) won the fifth-place game. Stacy Keil scored three goals in a 5-4 victory over Villa Park.

Santa Margarita 9, Goleta Dos Pueblos 5--Katie Ferguson scored five goals for Santa Margarita (20-6) in the ninth-place game. Ferguson also scored five goals in a 9-5 victory over Santa Monica.

Edison 7, Foothill 6 (OT)--Brooke Fleming scored three for Edison (14-11). Kami Fleming scored three of her four goals in the fourth quarter to lead Edison to a 9-5 upset of eighth-ranked Mission Viejo.

Corona del Mar 5, Capistrano Valley 4 (OT)--Meagan Hardt scored in overtime for Corona del Mar (10-12).