Laguna polo teams qualify for summer Jr. Olympics

The girls’ 14-and-under and 12-and-under teams from Laguna Beach

Water Polo both have qualified for this summer’s Junior Olympics.

Both teams earned berths in the tournament, which will be held in

San Jose the weekend of Aug. 5-7.

Laguna’s 14-and-under team opened weekend play with a 7-3 victory

over the So Cal “A” team.

Goals by Dylan Conroy and Hannah Fait and two by Annika Dries

allowed Laguna to open up a 4-1 halftime lead.

Lexy Ross and Madison Duncan added third-period goals, and Conroy

closed out the Laguna scoring with her second goal, which she posted

in the fourth quarter.

Laguna then secured an invite to the Junior Olympics by defeating

North Irvine, 20-0.

In that decisive win, every player who entered the game for Laguna

scored at least once, and goalie Sarah Zuziak turned away the only

shot thrown her way.

Players who scored for Laguna included Dries, Fait, Conroy, Ross,

Duncan, Kacky Brown, Siena Martin, Arianna Ross and Arielle Palmer.

In its final game in the weekend qualifying tournament, Laguna and

Newport Beach played to a 5-5 tie match.

Dries scored both first-half goals for Laguna, Duncan scored in

the third period, and Ross netted the final two goals, both coming in

the fourth quarter.

Laguna’s 12-and-under girls also qualified for the Junior Olympics

last weekend.

The squad defeated Chino, 7-6, and Capistrano Valley, 15-1, and

each win gave the squad a shot at being the No. 1 seed from the

Southern Pacific zone at the Junior Olympics tournament.