NEWPORT BEACH – Mater Dei’s boys water polo program has turned one of the toughest early season tournaments into an annual fall workshop.
The Monarchs again arrived at the 32-team South Coast Tournament and used the Newport Harbor-hosted competition to build a wave of momentum, calm stormy seas and polish newly installed tactics.
Orange County’s top-ranked team used a seven-goal blitz in the third period, four goals from Thomas Dunstan and six field blocks to defeat Loyola of Los Angeles, 13-5, in the championship match at Newport Harbor on Saturday.
In claiming a sixth consecutive title, the Monarchs (9-1) firmed their status as the strongest contender for two-time defending CIF-SS Division 1 champion and Mater Dei nemesis, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City.
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Harvard-Westlake beat Mater Dei, 12-3, in the finals of the Santa Barbara Invitational on Sept. 13, but the Monarchs haven’t lost since. They beat Loyola, 9-7, in the semifinals at Santa Barbara. But in a sign of a team starting to roll, Mater Dei led the Cubs, 12-3, after the third period Saturday.
“Hopefully (we’ll get on) a roll – we’ll see,” Mater Dei coach Chris Segesman said. “Harvard is the best team in Division 1. It’s that simple. But we’re not really worried about Harvard right now. … We’re trying to eliminate the inconsistencies in our game and I think this championship final was a great step in that direction.”
Mater Dei scored the first three goals, including two by the left-handed Dunstan, to lead, 5-1, at halftime.
The Monarchs ramped up their attack in the third. Lefty Luke Wyatt netted all three of his goals, including a blast off a side post from 6 meters on a power-play shot. Defender Elias Lule scored on an after-goal play and from center. Sean Duncan scored from center and Dunstan notched a counterattack strike.
“The team is coming together,” said Dunstan, who helped Mater Dei beat Corona del Mar, 11-7, in the semifinals. “I feel we’re like an oiled machine. Before, we were kind of separate (with) individual players.”
Mater Dei’s cohesion showed on its power-play, which finished 5 for 7. Loyola (10-2), the South Coast champion before Mater Dei’s reign, went 2 for 5 with the extra attacker.
The Monarchs also worked well playing a gapping perimeter defense that dropped help against center Luka Milicevic and dropped off other players. Mater Dei shutout Milicevic and still limited sharp-shooter Marko Vavic to one goal.
“We had to pick and choose who we came off and had to be really active,” Segesman said. “We were working a little split there. … We’ve been working on that kind of defense.”
Goalie Nolan Strout helped anchor Mater Dei’s defense with seven saves, including three against the power-play.
Dunstan also established a strong defensive presence in the first half with two field blocks. In the second quarter, he transitioned to offense after one field block by drawing exclusion on the shooter. Segesman called timeout and Dunstan scored on the power-play for a 5-1 lead with 2:13 left in the opening half.
“He’s learned to be the man in the pool,” Segesman said of the Connecticut transfer. “He’s come a long way.”
As far as Mater Dei’s inconsistencies, Segesman cited the Corona del Mar game on Saturday. He said the Monarchs didn’t shoot well, especially on the power-play. Mater Dei led early, 4-0, but the score tightened after the opening period. The final three periods were tied, 7-7.
“We had moments of greatness and moments of weakness,” Segesman said.
Centers Tamir Avital (three goals) and Brendan Hack (two goals) combined for five goals for the Sea Kings.
In the third-place game:
No. 3 Foothill 11, No. 4 Corona del Mar 4: Chas Hornecker and Mike Miller each scored three goals and Bobby Lee added two to lead the Knights (8-1). Will Rodosky scored twice in the power-play for the Sea Kings, who played without Coach Barry O’Dea (red card, semifinals).
In the fifth-place game:
No. 6 Dana Hills 7, No. 2 Huntington Beach 5: Bennett Williams scored twice and Riley Zachary made 14 saves to lead the Dolphins (9-3) to their highest finish under 13th-year coach Matt Rosa. “Dana is not going anywhere,” Rosa said. The Oilers played without Ethan Wojciechowski, who suffered a mild concussion earlier in the day against Long Beach Wilson.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
