CIF powers to meet again in pool

For the third time this season, Laguna Beach and Villa Park will meet in girls’ water polo action when two of the top teams in CIF-Southern Section Division II matchup today.

And for the third time, Laguna will be looking to knock off the Spartans when the teams go after the opening sprint in a 4 p.m. nonleague showdown.

The Breakers defeated the Spartans by a single goal in both previous meetings, the most recent being Jan. 12 at the Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara.

Laguna won that match, 7-6, to take seventh place in the tournament.

In their first meeting of the season, also at the Villa Park pool, Laguna won 11-10 at the Villa Park Classic.

“We’ve already beaten them twice and it’s always tough to [go] up against a good team like Villa Park and win a third time,” Laguna co-Coach Chad Beeler said. “It’s going to be another tough match but we’re confident that we can win it.”

Today’s match is the first for Laguna since the Breakers played four matches last weekend at the Tournament of Champions, where they posted a 2-2 record.

Sixteen of the Southland’s top-ranked teams competed in Santa Barbara.

Prior to beginning tournament play, the Breakers began their trip up north on Jan. 10 and lost, 7-4, to Dos Pueblos, the top-ranked team in Division II.

“We had hoped to do better but the tournament was an eye-opener of what we can expect when CIF rolls around,” Beeler said.

In its tournament opener on Jan. 11, Laguna defeated host Santa Barbara, the fourth-ranked team in Division II, 6-5. Lexie Ross scored twice and had an assist, Jessie Holechek scored once with an assist and Jessica Shusko, Natasha Schulman and Lauren Elliott also scored.

Annika Dries had two assists and two steals, Taylor Dodson had a steal and assist and Sarah Zuziak had three saves. The Breakers then dropped a tough, 6-5 match to Corona del Mar that same day, despite leading 4-1 at the half. Allison Peotter scored her only two goals of the match in the final minutes to lift the Sea Kings, ranked second in Division I, to the win.

Dries scored twice, assisted another goal and came up with four steals for Laguna. Schulman scored twice and had three steals, Ross scored once and had two assists and Zuziak had four saves. Corona del Mar went on to win the tournament, beating top-ranked Newport Harbor (6-5) in the final Saturday.

Laguna dropped its second-straight match of the tournament “” the first time this season that the Breakers have lost two-straight “” when it fell 6-5 to Los Alamitos, the fifth-ranked team in Division I. Shusko scored twice and Dries, Holechek and Ross each had a goal.

Zuziak finished with 10 saves.

Laguna concluded the tournament with a 7-6 win over Villa Park, outscoring the Spartans 2-1 in the fourth quarter to earn seventh-place. Holechek paced the Laguna offense with three goals and Dries, Schulman, Lexie Ross and Arianna Ross all scored once.

Dries and Dodson each had three steals and Zuziak came up with five saves.

In the 7-4 nonleague loss at Dos Pueblos on Jan. 10, Dries, Elliott, Holechek and Shusko scored for the Breakers.

Following today’s match at Villa Park, Laguna will return to Orange Coast League action Wednesday to host Estancia at 3:15 p.m.