Bergeson's late shot lifts CdM into semifinals

Max Bergeson scored from about 5 meters with four seconds left to lift Corona del Mar's boys water polo team past visiting Ventura, 15-14, in a Division I quarterfinal match Friday night.

The left-handed senior drew a foul outside of 5 meters and scored to send the third-seeded Sea Kings (24-5) to the semifinals for the first time since 2005. Corona del Mar blocked Ventura's shot on the ensuing possession.

Bergeson finished with a match-high five goals. Justin Papa, Evan Ramsey and Chase Watson each added three for Corona del Mar, which led 7-5 at halftime. The score was tied, 11-11, going into the fourth.

Corona del Mar will face Back Bay rival and second-seeded Newport Harbor in the semifinals Wednesday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine.

Newport Harbor is 2-0 against Corona del Mar this season.

In other Division I quarterfinals:

El Toro 16, Dos Pueblos of Goleta 7: The host and fourth-seeded Chargers (27-3) scored nine counterattack goals and got 11 saves from goalie Garrett Danner to reach their fourth consecutive Division I semifinal.

Nick Rascon scored six of his seven goals on counterattacks. Russell Renteria scored two of his four goals on the counter. Renteria, a junior center, also scored on an impressive left-handed - his off hand - backhanded shot in the third period.

The Chargers played a gap defense with three defenders toward the top of the perimeter and three near the goal. Rascon spent much of his time toward the top and racked up five steals. Freshman standout Joey Colton spent time in front of the cage and finished with four steals and added two assists.

"In the pool, they were reacting faster than our guys," Dos Pueblos coach Chris Parrish said. "This was really frustrating."

Danner played a key role in the counterattack, especially in the first half. He made eight of his saves in the first two periods. The sophomore finished with five assists and eight steals.

El Toro's first goal of the game came on a length-of-the-pool pass from Danner to Rascon. El Toro's best counter might have been in the second period when Danner blocked a man-advantage chance and passed to Rascon near midpool along the sideline. Rascon then founded Renteria in front of the net for the backhander and a 7-1 lead woth 2:31 left in the first half.

"Danner fuels the counterattack," said El Toro coach Don Stoll, whose squad led 9-2 at halftime.

Stoll said the Chargers' success on the counter featured other key elements, too.

"Awareness of the clock is one thing," he said. "Plus, those guys (Rascon and Renteria) are fast."

The Chargers are scheduled to meet top-seeded and undefeated Loyola (30-0) in the semifinals at John C. Argue Pool in Los Angeles on Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. Loyola defeated Los Alamitos, 12-7, on Friday.

Earlier in the season, Dos Pueblos lost to Loyola, 13-12, in double sudden-death overtime.

So what does Parrish think about the El Toro-Loyola matchup?

"Oh, man," he said. "Loyola has to shoot well."

Dos Pueblos didn't shoot well Friday and Danner and the El Toro counterattack made them pay the price.

Loyola 12, Los Alamitos 6: Freshman Chandler Jarrels and senior Sam Weiser each scored three goals at John C. Argue Pool in the loss for the Griffins (16-13). Standout Nikola Vavic scored six goals for Loyola.

Newport Harbor 10, Harvard-Westlake 5: Senior Zach Lucas scored four goals and added three assists to lead the host Sailors (25-4), who returned to the semifinals after missing in 2008.

In Division V quarterfinals:

Troy 5, Bonita 4: Junior Kilian Condon scored three goals to lead the Warriors at Las Flores Park. Troy overcame the loss of high-scoring Josh Stedman, who fouled out early in the second period. Troy plays second-seeded El Segundo in the semifinals. El Segundo edged Palm Springs, 8-7.

In Division III quarterfinals:

Laguna Beach 14, Great Oak 5: Nolan McConnell scored five goals to lead the host Breakers (19-11).

Murrieta Valley 18, Sage Hill 4: The Lightning made their first appearance in the quarterfinals but fell to the No. 1 seed.