El Toro girls stand up to Tesoro

CORONADO - El Toro's 10th-ranked girls water polo team made good use of its weekend in Coronado.

The Chargers, competing at the America's Finest City Invitational, showed improved play in the second half en route to a third-place finish Saturday night.

Sophomore Justine Morgan and senior Larissa Todisco  each scored four goals as El Toro held off Tesoro, 9-7, in the bronze medal match at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatics Complex.

El Toro (12-7) led by four goals late in the third period. Tesoro (12-10) tied the score twice in the fourth but Morgan and senior Jessica Browning  scored the final two goals in the final three minutes to lift the Chargers.

Morgan used a foul outside 5 meters to set up her perimeter strike, which gave El Toro an 8-7 lead with 2:50 left. Browning then scored on a spectacular left-handed sweep shot from center 45 seconds later.

"We had a good fourth," El Toro coach Matt Tilton said. "Very good weekend."

Before the tournament, El Toro had been struggling with its performance in the third period. But the Chargers pushed that ailment aside over the weekend.

Earlier Saturday, El Toro knocked off No. 8 Mater Dei, 13-8, in the quarterfinals. The teams were tied at halftime, 4-4, but the Chargers made their move in the third, taking the period, 4-2.

El Toro's biggest victory might have come Friday against Poway.

"We're taking about that as the turning point of our season," Tilton said. "We had a great third quarter. … We've been having a hard time making the adjustments (from) halftime."

El Toro lost to Vista, 8-7, in the semifinals. The Chargers went 3for 10 on the power play and committed 19 turnovers.

"Should have beat Vista," Tilton said. "They're a solid team … but if we play like we did against Mater Dei, we would have won."

Morgan had five steals and drew four exclusions against Tesoro. Late in the first, she made a steal and took off on a counterattack, which ended with her drawing a penalty. Morgan converted the shot for a 2-0 lead.

In the second period, she made another steal on the perimeter and scored on a counterattack for a 4-2 lead.

Tesoro's Hayley Alexander  scored twice from the perimeter in the fourth to tie the score, 6-6 and 7-7. Alexander, Kelsey Suggs and Tiffany Kell each scored twice for the Titans.

El Toro's surge coincided with Browning playing more 2-meter defense. El Toro didn't have primary defender Lindsay Holbrook (ill) for the two-day tournament.

Morgan and Todisco were selected all-tournament along with Tesoro's Lauren Colton, who didn't score against the Chargers but drew at least three ejections. Kell also was selected all-tournament.

Tesoro lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Coronado, 13-6.

In the fifth-place match:

Mater Dei 8, Irvine 6: Chelsea Silvers scored four goals to lead the Monarchs (18-3).

First-team All-County water polo player Paul Pickell of Foothill has committed to UCLA, Knights coach Jim Brumm said Saturday.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com