Corona del Mar stuns El Toro

LAKE FOREST When it mattered most Friday, Corona del Mar’s No. 4 boys water polo team had an answer for No. 3 El Toro.

The Chargers twice tied the score in the fourth period but the visiting Sea Kings responded each time to post an 8-7 nonleague victory.

Corona del Mar attacker Max Bergeson snapped a 7-7 deadlock by taking a pass from Blake Terry and scoring from the perimeter with 3:20 left in the fourth.

About 1:30 earlier, center Chase Watson snapped a 6-6 tie with a goal from center.

Corona del Mar (14-3) secured its biggest victory of the season on the defensive end in the final minutes.

Terry knocked down a power-play shot by El Toro (14-3) in the field and junior goalie Bruce Bearer blocked a hard shot with about a minute left. Corona del Mar later forced a turnover with 15 seconds left to seal the victory.

“Huge (victory),” said Bearer, who had 12 saves. “We hadn’t beaten El Toro in a really long time and that’s going to move us in the rankings, hopefully.”

Corona del Mar’s defense was especially tough against El Toro’s power play. The Chargers finished 1 for 4. El Toro used timeouts before three of its chances.

The Sea Kings went 1 for 2 on the power play, and converted one penalty shot.

Bergeson and Watson each finished with three goals. Watson, an emerging junior, also drew an ejection and a penalty.

Sophomore James Rude capitalized on the Sea Kings’ sagging defense in the fourth to score two of his three goals. Garrett Danner had nine saves for El Toro.