Laguna polo rides wave

For the third consecutive weekend, the Laguna Beach girls’ 14-and-Under water polo team stepped it up in tournament competition.

On Saturday, the 14-U squad competed in the 16-U division of the Northwood Tournament in Irvine. Laguna won three games to reach the division final, where it was to take on the Laguna Beach Breakers, a team composed of incoming freshmen and sophomores.

The final wasn’t played, however, as the starting time conflicted with a joint fundraising event the two Laguna teams held that night at the Laguna School of Music.

At the Northwood Tournament, Laguna first defeated University of San Diego, 12-5. Yoshi Andersen scored three of her four goals in the opening quarter as Laguna raced to a 6-0 lead. Candyce Schroeder finished with three, Jessi Holechek and Jessica Shusko each scored twice and Riley Duncan once.

In its next match, Laguna opened up a 5-0 lead on Gato and ended up with a 12-4 victory. Shusko scored the fist two goals, which came 1:30 into the match. Schroeder scored four goals and Andersen, Duncan, Shusko and Kelsey Thorton all scored once.

Laguna went after win No. 3 against a formidable SoCal team that took advantage of Laguna’s missing three players at the start of the match, to jump out to a 1-0 lead. But Laguna scored consecutive goals to take a 2-1 lead. They maintained a one-goal lead until the final 30 seconds of the match, when Holechek faked a shot attempt and hit a wide open Duncan, who netted the final goal to give Laguna a 5-3 win.

Holechek and Schroeder each scored twice, and Andersen scored once. Keying the Laguna defense were goalie Edy Manetta, Lauren Hampton, Hannah Lawson and Kaitlyn Waidley.

On Sunday, Laguna competed in the Capo Valley 16-and-Under Tournament at San Clemente High. The first match, an 8 a.m. date with a novice team from Santa Margarita High, ended up a 17-2 romp for Laguna.

Anderson, Thorton, Schroeder, Holechek, Shusko and Duncan scored in the first period. Duncan would add three more goals, Schroeder and Shusko two each, and Anderson and Thorton one more. Lawson and Manetta also got in the scoring column.

Laguna then took on the frosh/soph team from San Clemente High and came away with a 7-3 victory in a physical match. Shusko got the offense going early, scoring the first two goals, the second coming off a feed from Andersen. Shusko then drew a kick, Holechek lofted a pass toward the front of the goal and Schroeder easily tipped it in for a 3-0 lead. A Duncan goal padded Laguna’s lead to 4-1 after one quarter.

Duncan scored on a 6-on-5 advantage in the second quarter as Laguna took a 5-2 halftime lead. Manetta, Waidley, Hampton and Melena Masson led Laguna defensively in the first half. Shuso took a punch across the bridge of her nose and had to leave the pool in the second quarter.

Laguna continued to control the pace in the second half. Goals by Andersen and Masson upped the advantage to 7-2 to finish the tournament with a 2-0 record.

Laguna will compete this weekend at the John Hale Tournament in Riverside.