Newport Beach Water Polo 10U girls win third straight Junior Olympics gold
- Share via
IRVINE — Winning a championship often means dealing with some adversity.
Piper Kliszewski of the Newport Beach Water Polo Club 10-and-under Blue girls picked up two quick exclusions Tuesday morning in the platinum division gold-medal match at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics.
So, late in the first quarter, Newport Beach coach Carolyn Doyle put Kliszweski in at goalkeeper, swapping her with Tiegan Norton.
“Every game we do that, people freak out,” Doyle said after the game. “I’m like, ‘No, it’s just a substitution.’”
Kliszewski switched between goalie and field player a couple of times during the game. She scored multiple goals from both positions, tallying seven in total and helping Newport Beach earn a 12-10 win over 908 Water Polo Club and its third straight national title in the 10U age group.
Wallis Williamson, the only player who has been on all three teams, added four goals for the winners, and Maryn Mack also scored a goal.
“It feels really great,” Williamson said. “Water polo is really, really fun. I love it so much … I’m really happy that we stuck together like glue and never gave up. We just kept our motivation and worked together.”
Norton also played well for Newport, making multiple saves including one on a penalty shot, and Albie Gaines got a steal. Harbor Doyle, Jane Tatum, Lucy Pomer, Nova Wawrzynski and Avalon Sinclair also contributed for the winners.
Newport Beach had a tough matchup against 908, a Long Beach-based club that featured water polo legend Tony Azevedo as an assistant coach and his daughter, Luna, as one of the top players. Newport led 8-5 at halftime, but 908 pulled within 9-8 in the fourth quarter on a goal by Luna Azevedo.
Doyle switched Kliszewski back into the field, and she scored on a sweep shot with 1:59 left to make it a two-goal game. After Kalista Remyn scored her team-best fifth goal to bring 908 back within a goal, Kliszewski scored again for some much-needed insurance — from the goalkeeper position this time.
Doyle said that because Norton joined the team relatively late in the season, the team was comfortable with Kliszewski in goal.
“Sometimes it can get a little confusing,” admitted Kliszewski, the daughter of Huntington Beach native and former professional beach volleyball player Sarah Day, of switching between positions. “I get nervous once in a while, especially because I had two ejections this game. I just really didn’t want to mess it all up, but I pushed myself beyond limits.”
The Newport Beach 10Us, who beat SOCAL 8-6 in the semifinals earlier Tuesday, went undefeated in the tournament.
Newport Beach went on to become the first club to sweep the 10U, 12U and 14U girls’ age groups at the Junior Olympics since Laguna Beach in 2017. Doyle, a Newport Harbor High alumna, had a daughter for all three teams, with Hope, Hattie and Harbor all earning gold.
Carolyn Doyle said she’s tried to use things she’s learned from the other head coaches — Kevin Ricks (12U), Christina O’Beck (14U) and Ross Sinclair (older age group) — and teach them to the younger girls.
“They really step up every year,” Doyle said of her players. “We have them grind, and we hold them accountable like they are 12U or 14U. They do a great job. They show up and commit to the system, and it works. It’s awesome.”
