The Elings Aquatic Center played host to another girls water polo matchup that college scouts dream about Thursday, and Dos Pueblos came out on top in a neck-and-neck 7-6 battle against Laguna Beach.
Kiley Nueshul had three goals and Alex Hill added a pair as the Chargers foiled the Breakers’ final chance to tie things up with 12 seconds remaining.
Sami Hill had another stellar performance in the cage, grabbing 14 saves and holding off a barrage of shots from the Breakers. Both teams, in fact, took plenty of shots, with Laguna Beach firing 33 and DP 22. Accuracy was an issue, though, and the posts took a beating, particularly in the first half.
“Our shots just weren’t going in, and I knew it was just nerves, because the girls shoot on Sami all the time and they were freaking out that had to be perfect,” said DP coach Danelle Little.
The Breakers took a 2-1 lead after the first quarter, but DP battled back with a 2-0 second quarter to go into the half up 3-2. Each team scored a pair of goals in the next two quarters, with Neushul putting the game-winner away with 2:14 left.
Laguna Beach Coach Ethan Damato recognized that the game was tight mainly because of DP’s unfortunate shooting.
“I think we got pretty lucky in the first two quarters because they missed a lot of shots. We didn’t come to play today at all,” he said frustratedly. “I think we were lucky not to be down by more for that entire game. They were hitting bars left and right.”
But just because he was displeased with his team’s performance doesn’t mean that he feels Laguna Beach is inferior. The Breakers are ranked tops in Division II and had not lost a match up until Thursday.
“I think we’re the best team in the country, personally… We came up here to win this game and this tournament,” he said.
Laguna Beach begins the Tournament of Champions by taking on Santa Barbara on Friday afternoon.
DOS PUEBLOS 7, LAGUNA BEACH 6
Laguna Beach….2 0 2 2 — 6
Dos Pueblos……1 2 2 2 — 7
Goals — LB: Dodson 2, Masson 2, Dries 1, Ross 1. DP: Neushul 3, AHill 2, KHill 1, Schroeder 1.
Goalie saves — LB: Manetta 7, DP: SHill 14.
