Laguna Beach’s top-ranked girls water polo team will have a neighbor by its side today as Orange County clashes against the Channel League in the semifinals of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.
Third-ranked Mater Dei (9-2) will make its first appearance in the semifinals when it takes on host Dos Pueblos of Goleta (13-1) at 12:15 p.m.
Laguna Beach (12-0) will make its fourth consecutive semifinal appearance when it plays San Marcos at 11:10 a.m.
The championship match is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. at Dos Pueblos.
In a tournament tune-up Thursday night, the Breakers defeated San Marcos, 12-5, behind 12 saves by goalie Thea Walsh and five goals by Olympic gold medalist Aria Fischer.
Laguna Beach advanced to the semifinals with an 18-5 victory against Huntington Beach in the quarterfinals Friday.
The Oilers reached the quarterfinals with a 5-2 victory against Santa Barbara, ranked one spot higher in the Division 1 poll at No. 9.
San Marcos knocked off defending champion Orange Lutheran, 12-6, in another quarterfinal Friday.
The Monarchs beat No. 4 Corona del Mar, 14-10, in its quarterfinal.
Last weekend, Mater Dei fell at Dos Pueblos, 15-14, in overtime despite five goals from Hannah Constandse and four by Bella Baia.
Dos Pueblos reached its first semifinal since 2011 with a 13-3 victory against Foothill in the quarterfinals.
In the first round, Foothill rallied past Los Alamitos, 9-8, on a last-second perimeter strike by Val Ayala. The junior scored her game-high fifth goal – and third of the fourth period — coming out of a timeout with four seconds left.
With Los Alamitos pressing Ayala, she scored off a pass from Grace Pevehouse. Bayley Weber scored four goals for the Griffins, who led, 8-6, going into the fourth.
Contact the writer: dalbano@scng.com
