El Toro opens league with victory

Joey Colton scored a career-high six goals and Josh Mundell added a career-high four to help El Toro's boys water polo team open the South Coast League with a 12-8 victory at San Clemente on Wednesday.

Goalie Byron Rivers added 13 saves for the defending league champion Chargers (2-0, 1-0), ranked No. 6 in the county this week.

El Toro led, 9-4, going into the fourth quarter.

"It was a great victory," first-year El Toro coach Brett McCleave said. "Overall, with my starters, I was happy."

Colton is a four-year varsity player. He has been best known for his passing, ball-handling and defense.

"Joey created a lot of his own goals today," McCleave said. "(And) he was getting some great passes from his teammates."

Rivers has averaged 11.5 saves in first two games.

"Byron had a killer game," McCleave said. "We really communicated well on defense."

Derek Cousineau, Chase Hamming and Robby Stiefel each scored twice for the Tritons (4-3, 1-0).

The South Coast League plays a double-round, so El Toro and San Clemente play again Oct. 18.

El Toro opens the South Coast Tournament on Thursday at host Servite at 6 p.m. The winner of the match could face Long Beach Wilson in the second round later that night at Servite at 8.

In a nonleague match:

Tesoro 17, JSerra 7: Hunter Johnson, Taylor Peterson and Connor Suggs each scored three goals to lead the visiting Titans (5-3).

SOUTH COAST PREVIEW

Top-ranked Mater Dei puts its Southern Section record 54-match winning streak on the line this week at the South Coast Tournament.

The Monarchs (6-0) have captured the tournament the past two seasons since placing fourth in 2009.

Mater Dei has claimed eight consecutive regular season tournaments.

"Until someone beats them, they're wearing the crown," Long Beach Wilson coach Tony Martinho said of Mater Dei. "We're all shooting (for) them."

The 32-team tournament runs Thursday through Saturday at Servite, Newport Harbor, Foothill and Corona del Mar.

The top four seeds are: Mater Dei, Newport Harbor (2-0), Loyola of Los Angeles and Los Alamitos (2-0).

Long Beach Wilson is seeded second to Mater Dei in the Servite group.

The county's entire Top 10 is competing in the tournament.

The final is Saturday at Newport Harbor at 4:05 p.m. The semifinals will be at Newport Harbor at 10:40 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.