Laguna Beach girls’ water polo seniors leave lasting legacy
What defines success in team sports?
Is it defined by wins and losses, or the time spent with the team and the memories made?
By any metric, the Laguna Beach High girls’ water polo team has been a success story.
The close-knit squad from a small town has also been the most successful team in the CIF Southern Section in recent years. They won the last two Division 1 titles, and five in the last seven years. They would have been favored to win a sixth, had the playoffs not been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think we’re just trying to prove ourselves with the games that we have, and not give any other teams chances to say that they’re better than us,” UCLA-bound senior utility player Nicole Struss said. “It was long awaited for all of us, so being able to play these games, everyone just felt so lucky.”
Yes, since Coach Ethan Damato’s Breakers don’t lack in perspective, they’re also able to make the best of what they have. So, they have spent this three-week stretch which is being called a season doing what they always do.
They just keep winning.
The Breakers won 10-4 at Newport Harbor on Wednesday evening, clinching the outright Surf League title with one league match still remaining. It was the 65th straight league win overall for Laguna Beach (6-0, 5-0 in league).
Laguna Beach has a lauded senior class this year, with all 11 seniors going on to play in college. Yet it is perhaps telling about the Breakers’ depth that junior attacker Ava Houlahan came off the bench to score two big goals, tying her for team-high honors with senior attackers Molly Renner and left-hander Emma Lineback, both of whom are also bound for UCLA.
Princeton-bound Rachael Carver, Imani Clemons (UC Santa Barbara) and Emma Singer (Cal) also scored for the Breakers, who actually trailed Newport Harbor. Avery Montiel’s early power-play goal put the Sailors (3-2, 2-2) up early.
But Laguna Beach scored eight of the next nine goals, storming to an 8-2 advantage after three quarters.
“Our last game [a 7-5 league win at Los Alamitos on Tuesday], our defense was a little soft and we weren’t executing as well,” Lineback said. “This game, we really tried to focus on playing hard defense, and I think we did a really good job of executing and pushing that the whole game.”
Struss had a team-best two assists and Carver a team-best two steals for the Breakers. Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Schneider made eight saves, including one on a penalty shot. She also provided a highlight when she made a full-court goal early in the fourth quarter.
“She’s thrown a couple of those in practice,” Struss said with a grin. “It was nice to see that go in, because they haven’t gone in during practice. It was nice to see it go in during a game.”
Junior Morgan Netherton led Newport Harbor with two goals, and Lily Gess also scored. Anna Reid had eight saves, including a penalty-shot stuff.
Netherton said the Sailors’ effort was improved from the teams’ first league meeting, a 14-8 Breakers win on March 6.
“They scored six goals in the first quarter on us, and this time we held them to two and it was close,” said Netherton, a USC commit. “Coming out and scoring that first goal was huge. Obviously, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but I think my team was a lot more mentally engaged.”
Laguna Beach seems to always be that way, one pass or swim stroke ahead.
Struss, Renner and Carver, who became known by the “Baby Breakers” nickname as freshmen, are finishing up a four-year varsity career this week. The Breakers close out league play at Corona del Mar on Thursday and host Riverside King in a nonleague match Friday.
“It’s definitely been really cool playing with so many different levels,” Renner said. “When we played with the seniors [as freshmen], they were so much more advanced in skill than us. It was cool learning from them. Then, showing what we’ve learned to the people that we play with has really just made us grow as players.
“We’re not so ‘baby’ anymore.”
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