Laguna girls take polo title

Playing host to the fifth annual Eighth-Grade-and-Under Tournament, the Laguna Beach Water Polo Age Group girls’ team won three matches to claim the tournament title.

Laguna defeated Capo Valley, 11-4, Corona del Mar, 10-3 and Commerce, 4-3, to claim the championship.

In the 11-4 win over Capo Valley, Laguna scored nine goals over the first two periods of the match to take control. Lexy Ross led the way with four goals, Kelsey Thorton scored three times, Lauren Hampton twice and Riley Duncan and Candyce Schroeder each scored once.

Next came a match against a Corona del Mar team that had defeated Huntington Beach. Laguna took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter behind goals by Jessi Holechek and two by Ross. It became an 8-0 score when Duncan, Schroeder and Hampton each scored once and Thorton netted a pair of goals.

Corona del Mar scored three times in the third period and held Laguna scoreless to close the gap to 8-3, but the host team used goals by Ross and Hampton to build the lead up to 10-3.

In the championship match, Laguna faced a Commerce squad that had defeated Los Alamitos and Chino Hills to earn a spot in the final. Laguna struck first, getting a score from Ross on a five-yard penalty shot. Commerce, however, tied the score following a Laguna kick out with 26 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Commerce forged ahead, 2-1, midway through the second quarter, which turned out to be its only lead of the match. Laguna responded with a goal by Ross from her hole set position to send the teams into the break knotted at 2-2. With a minute left in the third period, Holechek sent a shot into the corner of the net that gave Laguna the lead for good, 3-2.

With five minutes left in the match, Thorton scored to make it 4-2.

Laguna’s defensive intensity in the fourth quarter controlled the lead. Goalie Edy Manetta made a key stop on a breakaway to preserve her team’s two-point cushion and the efforts of Kacki Brown, Melena Masson and Yoshi Andersen thwarted other scoring opportunities.

Commerce scored its final goal in the final 1:30, but was not able to penetrate the Laguna defense to post the potential tying goal.