All games at Woollett Aquatics Center, Irvine.
DIVISION 1
NEWPORT HARBOR (23-7) VS. LAGUNA BEACH (29-1), 1p.m.
Outlook: The top-seeded Breakers went 3-0 against the seventh-seeded Sailors in the regular season. The first two matches were competitive with Laguna Beach beating Newport Harbor, 11-8, in the final of the Holiday Cup on Jan.4 and, 9-5, in the final of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions on Jan.18. But the third clash was lopsided. Laguna Beach won the teams’ Jan.24 nonleague game, 13-1, in what Sailors coach Bill Barnett called the most lopsided loss in his program’s history. Newport Harbor struggled near the end of the regular season but found new energy in the playoffs with upsets of No.2 Foothill and No.6 Santa Barbara. “We’ve kind of embraced this underdog role,” Newport Harbor goalie Cleo Harrington said. “We don’t feel a lot of pressure.” While Newport Harbor is playing in its third consecutive Division1 final and ninth under Barnett, Laguna Beach will make its first appearance in a Division1 final. Barnett’s teams are 5-3 in Division 1 finals. Laguna Beach’s Makenzie Fischer scored 14 goals in the three games against Newport Harbor, nearly hitting her season-average of 4.81 goals per game. The national team player leads the Breakers with 125 goals and 70 steals. Laguna Beach freshman left-hander Bella Baldridge leads the county with 68 assists, a program record. Newport Harbor junior Kate Pipkin has scored seven goals in the playoffs and added six steals against Foothill. Laguna Beach is riding a school-record 20-match winning streak.
(Related story: Newport Harbor’s unselfish goalies share time, talent )
DIVISION 2
MATER DEI (26-6) VS.
SANTA MARGARITA (23-6), 4p.m.
Outlook: These Trinity League rivals have history. Santa Margarita rallied to beat Mater Dei in last season’s Division 2 final, 12-11, in overtime on a goal by Tessa deRecat with eight seconds left. Santa Margarita continued its winning ways against Mater Dei this season, taking a tournament game in Santa Barbara, 10-2, on Jan.18 and the league game, 9-5, on Jan.31. The Eagles and Monarchs entered the playoffs seeded first and second, respectively. “I’m glad it’s them,” Santa Margarita’s Haley Wan said of facing Mater Dei in the final. “The rematch.” Wan has seven goals in two games against Mater Dei, and she has 90 this season. The Princeton-bound senior was a defensive force in the league game with a school-record eight field blocks. Kacey Avalos and goalie Nikki Doumas also are key defenders for Santa Margarita. Doumas (242 saves) and Mater Dei senior Anna Politiski (246 saves) were the starting goalies in last year’s final. Mater Dei’s Brianna Daboub has been an offensive force and has 21 goals in four playoff games. The USC signee leads Mater Dei with 128 goals.
DIVISION 4
LA SERNA OF WHITTIER (19-9) VS. TROY (23-9), 2:30p.m.
Outlook: The Warriors and Lancers clash in the Division4 final for the second consecutive season. Troy was seeded second last season and beat No.4 La Serna of Whittier, 9-5, behind a four-goal fourth period for its first CIF title. Shannon Grossman, now a senior, finished with four goals for the Warriors. The Warriors are again seeded second but the teams haven’t played this winter. La Serna is seeded eighth and reached the final by upsetting top-seeded Bonita of La Verne, 9-8, in the quarterfinals and No. 4 South Pasadena, 10-9, in the semifinals. Freshman Carissa Perez scored five goals against South Pasadena. Senior Minna Mattis leads Troy with 137 goals.
DIVISION 6
PALM DESERT (27-3) VS. YORBA LINDA (25-7), 5:30p.m.
Outlook: The top-seeded and defending champion Mustangs take on the second-seeded Aztecs for the second time. Yorba Linda rallied past Palm Desert, 8-7, in a nonleague game Jan.14. Palm Desert led, 7-4, going into the fourth period but was outscored, 4-0, in the final seven minutes. Sophomore Amy Castellano (94 goals, 115 steals) netted the winner with about one minute left. Yorba Linda defeated Palm Desert last season in the Division 6 semifinals, 11-6, en route to its first CIF title. Both teams look strong in goal. Yorba Linda’s Becca Stephenson (327 saves) is the reigning CIF-SS Division 6 player of the year while Palm Desert counters with 5-foot-10 Savannah Clyde.
DIVISION 7
SEGERSTROM (22-9) VS. OCEAN VIEW (17-9), 10a.m.
Outlook: The winner of this Golden West League showdown will claim its first CIF title. Segerstrom swept the teams’ league games, 10-3, and, 9-7, in overtime en route to its first league title. Segerstrom was missing three players, including senior Gillian Robles, for the second match. “It’s going to be a good game,” Segerstrom coach Tim Fredericksen said of the final. “They (Ocean View) are going to be fired up. Beating a team three times is hard.” Loara coach Pedro Jiron said Segerstrom’s strengths are speed, depth and solid goalie play from Melissa Osorio. Jiron said sophomores Elena Isogawa and Shannon Graham are key players for Ocean View, last season’s Division7 runner-up to Hemet. Raquel Zorich is Ocean View’s lone senior.
