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Water polo recap: Area's depth keeps growing
OCVarsity takes a look at the regular-season highlights and top performances.
If Orange County's regular season in girls water polo was any indication, the postseason could be exciting for county teams.
From Division 1 to 7, the county produced many highlights.
A deep and balanced Foothill (23-3) team captured the Holiday Cup in December, the first of three major tournaments for Division 1 teams.
The Knights' early-season success pushed them to No. 1 in the county rankings. They were steady the rest of the way, finishing second to Santa Barbara at the recent Irvine Southern California Championships.
Nikki Stansfield of Foothill was selected the tournament's top field player.
The Corona del Mar-Newport Harbor rivalry, the most intense one in the county, delivered four matches and a 2-2 spilt.
Greek transfers Stephania and Ioanna Haralabidis joined Corona del Mar (23-4) and added intensity and high-level play.
Newport Harbor goalie Cleo Harrington emerged as a county player of the year candidate in leading the Sailors (20-6) to the Sunset League title and a runner-up finish at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.
In Division 2, Santa Margarita (21-6) and Haley Wan dethroned Mater Dei for the Trinity League title while El Toro (17-8) captured the South Coast for its first league title in seven seasons. All three teams are CIF title contenders.
Troy (21-8) went 10-0 to claim the Freeway League and could earn Division 4's No. 2 seed. Tesoro (17-10) captured its first league title, claiming the Division 4 Sea View League.
Yorba Linda (17-4) won its first league title by dethroning Pacifica in the Division 6 Empire League.
Division 7 contender Ocean View claimed the Nogales tournament title along with the Golden West League. The Seahawks are ranked No. 1 in Division 7.
But the most exciting stretch was Jan. 15-16. On the 15th, Garden Grove’s Amber Labra scored in sudden-death overtime to lead the Argonauts past defending league champion Los Amigos. The next night, Wan scored a winning-goal in sudden-death overtime against Mater Dei.
The playoff pairings are announced Sunday at 11 a.m. The finals in all divisions are Feb. 23 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine.
The playoff pairings will be announced Sunday at 11a.m. The finals in all divisions are Feb. 23 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine.
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10 players who helped their teams the most during the regular season:
Mackenzie Barr, Mater Dei
Emily Browning, El Toro, GK
Makenzie Fischer, Laguna Beach
Cleo Harrington, Newport Harbor, GK
Jessica Hermosillo, Rosary, GK
Emily Loughlin, Santa Margarita
Stephanie Mutafyan, Los Alamitos
Allison Skaggs, El Toro
Nikki Stansfield, Foothill
Haley Wan, Santa Margarita
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10 teams that were better than we expected during the regular season:
Dana Hills
Ocean View
Orange Lutheran
Santa Margarita
Savanna
Tesoro
Tustin
University
Woodbridge
Yorba Linda
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10 players who could be postseason MVPs for their teams:
Taylor Best, Yorba Linda
Carly Christian, Newport Harbor
Brianna Daboub, Mater Dei
Kerstin Laye, Sunny Hills
Cana Manzella, Foothill
Cassidy Papa, Corona del Mar
Stephania Haralabidis, Corona del Mar
Brynne McNabb, Ocean View
Kelsey Roland, Foothill, GK
Melissa Thorn, Pacifica, GK
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10 teams ready to make deep runs in the postseason:
Corona del Mar
El Toro
Foothill
Mater Dei
Newport Harbor
Ocean View
Pacifica
Santa Margarita
Troy
Yorba Linda
