Quinten Osborne took just one shot for Huntington Beach’s boys water polo team Saturday against Loyola of Los Angeles in the CIF Division 1 quarterfinals.
It ended up being the biggest shot in more than 50 years for the Oilers.
The sophomore center scored a power-play goal with 1.25 seconds left in the fourth period at Newport Harbor to lift sixth-seeded Huntington Beach past the No. 3 Cubs, 8-7, and into the Division 1 semifinals for the first time since 1958.
Albano’s quarterfinal predictions
Loyola (21-7), which had defeated the Oilers, 7-5, early in the season, unleashed a final shot but the Oilers (21-6) blocked it in the field to advance to Wednesday’s 5 p.m. semifinal against No. 2-seeded Mater Dei at Woollett.
“It’s awesome,” said Osborne, whose shot from 5 meters blasted in off the bottom of the crossbar. “I’m so glad I could pull through and we all pulled through.”
Osborne got the chance for the winning strike after the Oilers drew an exclusion on the perimeter with about 35 seconds left. They made four passes on the power play before Loyola was whistled for another exclusion on the perimeter.
Huntington Beach briefly held a 6-on-4 advantage, making five passes, including one by Osborne that got away, before the ball returned to Osborne at the point for the winning shot.
Loyola defended Osborne well at 2 meters throughout the game but the Oilers received contributions from several players. Noah Nelson and Skyler Munatones each scored in the fourth, including Munatones on a bar-in power-play shot with 1:50 left for a 7-6 lead.
Freshman left-hander Curtis Jarvis paced Huntington Beach’s attack with three goals while goalie Alex Wolf made 11 saves, including a grab on a second-period penalty shot that bounced off the bottom of the crossbar.
The Oilers also played well early. Ethan Wojciechowski and Matt Robert scored perimeter strikes in the first period and Jarvis added two strikes in the second for a 4-1 lead. Robert scored on a bar-in shot from almost mid-pool.
Loyola caught and briefly passed Huntington Beach in the fourth, taking a 6-5 lead with 3:18 left. But the Oilers responded to the challenge despite being without Robert (three fouls, including minor misconduct) and a quiet match from Osborne until his final shot.
“We’re all strong players,” Osborne said of the team’s depth.
Said Oilers interim coach Chris Kaps of the victory, “(Former coach) Brian Anderson did an amazing job preparing the boys for this year. (Semifinals) was a goal they set and they achieved it.”
Loyola coach Erik Healy received a red card after the game for an expletive-laced confrontation with the officials. USC coach Jovan Vavic, whose son, Marko, netted three goals for the Cubs, also voiced displeasure with the officials afterward before walking away.
Loyola had its chances but went 3 for 9 on the power-play and 0 for 1 on the penalty shot. The Oilers went 3 for 7 on the man-advantage.
In other Division 1 games:
Mater Dei 11, Newport Harbor 4: Matt Payne scored three of his four goals on counterattacks as the visiting Monarchs (25-4) used a strong defense to reach an eighth consecutive semifinal between Division 1 and Division 2.
Mater Dei forced 19 turnovers in the first three periods and finished with five counter strikes. Goalie Jonathan Van De Velde made five his 10 saves in the fourth and was part of an effort that shutout out sharp-shooter Clay Davison and held the Sailors to a season-low goal output.
“I think the defense was the staple of our game,” Payne said. “The defense fed the counterattack today.”
The Monarchs scored the first four goals, with the last two coming on textbook counterattack strikes. Sean Duncan collected a steal that led to a counterattack goal by Payne, who made it 3-0 with 1:57 left in the first. And just seconds later, Luke Wyatt made a steal that led to a counterattack goal by Nick Silvers.
After the fast start, Mater Dei firmly controlled the match.
“I challenged them before today’s game to bring the championship defense that we need to get back to the semifinals and I’m proud of the guys, they responded really well,” Mater Dei coach Chris Segesman said.
Segesman said the Monarchs focused on controlling center Gavin Kunkle by trying to limit passes into 2 meters or not allowing him much time to work for a shot. The coach praised 2-meter defender Spencer Carroll for his coverage.
Payne said Mater Dei defense also brought another key element to the victory, one that wasn’t as easily visible for the casual spectator.
“Our defense really calmed our nerves, to be honest,” he said. “When you get a few stops, we kind of get that confidence that they’re not going to score on you.”
Newport Harbor finished with only two natural goals, picking up the other two on power-plays.
“Hard work pays,” Newport Harbor interim coach Marco Palazzo said of Mater Dei’s defense. “They’re just another level.”
Nick Wood had 13 saves for Newport Harbor (11-17).
Corona del Mar 10, Long Beach Wilson 9: The Sea Kings (24-5) opened an 8-1 lead at halftime at Belmont Plaza’s outdoor pool and held on to advance to Wednesday’s 7 p.m. semifinal against defending champion Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, which beat Orange Lutheran, 22-8. Nigel Bress made 16 saves for Corona del Mar.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
