Youth water polo team places second at Speedo Cup

The Laguna Beach Age Group Water Polo 10-and-Under team won three of four matches last weekend in Irvine to capture second place at the Speedo Cup.

Laguna won three matches before falling to Commerce in the final. The two-day tournament was played at the William Woollett Jr. Center.

Laguna 9, So Cal 5

Jeffrey Rubino netted three goals, and Cade Baldridge and Nolan Del Torro each scored once as Laguna took a 5-2 halftime lead on So Cal in the tournament opener for both teams Saturday.

Reid De Groote, Connor Hauer and Del Torro each scored in the third quarter, and Akio Andersen capped the scoring with a goal in the fourth quarter.

Bella Baldridge and Maya Clemonds played strong defensive games, and Trent Sadler and Henry White worked the net for Laguna.

Laguna 10, Huntington Beach 9

In its second game Saturday, Laguna rallied in the fourth quarter to edge Huntington.

Nolan Del Torro scored once and Trent Sadler had three stops in the first quarter. Reid De Groote, who replaced Sadler in the goal in the second quarter, blocked three shots and didn’t allow Huntington a goal. A score by Sadler evened the score (2-2) at the half.

Huntington outscored Huntington, 5-4, in the third quarter to take a 7-6 lead into the fourth.

The passing and scoring of Rubino, Sadler, Akio Andersen, Connor Hauer and Cade Baldridge led to a fourth-quarter comeback by Laguna.

Laguna 8, Los Alamitos 7

The second day of the competition Sunday saw Laguna take its first lead in the third quarter before polishing off Los Alamitos.

Connor Hauer and Jeffrey Rubino scored first-half goals, but Laguna trailed, 5-2, at the break.

A goal from mid-pool by Akio Andersen launched a comeback by Laguna in a third quarter that also saw Hauer and Rubino score again. Goalie Cade Baldridge shut down Los Alamitos in the quarter as Laguna gained its first lead, 5-4.

Commerce 10, Laguna 6

In the gold medal match, Laguna trailed throughout in falling to Commerce.

Akio Andersen scored twice, Trent Sadler had three goals (one from the goalie position) and Nolan Del Torro scored once.