Top-ranked Laguna Beach girls’ water polo outlasts Mater Dei to stay undefeated
The Laguna Beach High girls’ water polo team graduated one of the more impressive senior classes in recent Orange County history.
Eleven players from the class of 2021 went off to play in college. The Breakers return no starters this winter, besides junior goalkeeper Lauren Schneider.
Unfortunately for opponents, Laguna Beach doesn’t believe in rebuilding years.
The Breakers, who won back-to-back CIF Southern Section Division 1 titles in 2019 and 2020, were favored last school year too before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the postseason. And, even with several new faces, they began this season still top-ranked in Division 1.
Laguna Beach continued a stellar early season Friday, using two fourth-quarter goals from senior Lela McCarroll to earn a 7-6 nonleague victory over Mater Dei at Capistrano Valley High.
The Breakers (7-0) handed the Monarchs (5-1), who are tied for second in the Division 1 poll with Newport Harbor and Orange Lutheran, their first loss of the season. Laguna Beach also earned an 8-7 win over Orange Lutheran on Dec. 11.
“Even the girls that you didn’t see playing in the games last year, they’re still playing year-round, playing club,” Laguna Beach coach Ethan Damato said. “They’ve got a lot of experience, this group … They expect to win. That doesn’t mean they’re going to win every game, but I think the expectation for us is to be really good at what we do.
“I don’t think it really matters who’s on our team. Expectations always stay the same.”
Senior Hannah Carver and junior Charlotte Riches added two goals each for Laguna Beach, while Schneider made eight saves.
Senior Ava Houlahan, the field player who played the most last year, recorded three steals and played solid defense against Mater Dei senior standout Genoa Rossi.
Rossi, bound for UCLA, scored a power-play goal in the match’s first minute but didn’t score again.
Laguna Beach had a 5-2 halftime lead after McCarroll’s redirect goal from center, assisted by Myha Pinto, with nine seconds left in the second quarter.
But Mater Dei used a third-quarter surge, which included a pair of goals from senior Grace Klingler and one from junior Olivia Krotts off a field block, to tie the score at 5-5 entering the final period.
“We made some uncharacteristic mistakes,” Damato said. “But in the fourth quarter, I thought we really rebounded well and moved the ball really well.
“I thought we had four or five good possessions in a row to start the fourth quarter. We controlled things on defense and kind of changed the tempo of the game.”
McCarroll, a four-year varsity player bound for Marist College whose twin brother Logan is a senior for the Mater Dei boys’ water polo team, hurt the Monarchs late.
She buried a near-side shot assisted by Houlahan to give the Breakers a 6-5 lead with 5:18 remaining.
McCarroll’s wet cross-cage goal with 3:33 left then gave Laguna Beach a 7-5 lead. The insurance goal helped; after Klingler scored with 13 seconds left to bring Mater Dei within one, all the Breakers had to do was play keep away to secure the win.
“I was on the four-five side and I just ripped it,” McCarroll said. “I had to … Because we had so many seniors leave last year, we really had to step into their shoes and become a new team.
“Ethan’s really been helping us do that at practice. I went from being a sub on the bench not playing at all my freshman and sophomore year, and now I’m in the water playing every single minute. It’s really exciting.”
Damato credited the defensive effort of Schneider and junior set defender Cleo Washer. Senior Isabel Foley, making her first start of the season with sophomore standout Ava Knepper still out sick, also stepped up to contribute three first-half assists.
Carver said there is pressure in holding the top spot, but agreed with her coach that it’s a confident group. Last year’s senior class included her older sister Rachael, while her younger sister Kara is a freshman on the team.
“Being behind [the class of 2021] has definitely been tough, but I would say I learned a ton from them,” Hannah Carver said. “Now it’s like rewarding, because I feel like they’ve made me a good player. Even though I didn’t get many minutes my junior year, I feel confident going into those games. At practice, I played against some of the best.”
Laguna Beach plays at Foothill on Tuesday. The Knights are ranked No. 7 in Division 1.
::
Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.
For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
