Sami Hill built a wall in front of the goal, and it earned her MVP honors in one of the most prestigious girls water polo tournaments of the season.
The Dos Pueblos sophomore had 29 saves and averaged just one goal per quarter in the semifinals and finals of the Santa Barbara Tournament of champions on Saturday.
DP started the day by handing Corona del Mar its first loss of the season, 6-4, and took the night cap in a nail-biting decision over Los Alamitos, which also ended at 6-4.
“Oh yeah, it feels really good,” said coach Danelle Little, who tends to remain calm and collected, even after the big wins. “This morning was awesome. It was the most fun I’ve had since our CIF win last year. But you just take things one step at a time. It feels good but we’ve got a lot more to do to reach our goal.”
Star sophomore Kiley Neushul had three goals against CDM and a pair against Los Alamitos, with her final one sealing the title with 30 ticks remaining.
“She’s an awesome player and we’re so glad to have her back from her injury. She just adds a whole new element,” said Hill.
The Chargers frustrated the Sea Queens from the start in the semifinal, taking a 4-1 lead at the half thanks to some key steals near the goal. DP thwarted CDM’s final two 6-on-5 advantages and scored the games final goal on its own 6-on-5 with a one-timer by Nicole Morelos.
The Sea Queens had beaten the Chargers in the very same pool in the season’s first game, but Neushul didn’t view it as payback.
“I have a lot of friends on that team, so it’s not really revenge. It’s just really good to beat an undefeated team,” she said.
Hill had 17 saves in the victory.
The second game was a defensive stalemate, with the first goal of the match waiting in the wings until the 4:40 mark in the second period, when Sienna Van Alphen put one in the top corner to give the Chargers a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Neushul scored from point-blank range with 5:50 left in the third to make it 2-0, and then assisted Amanda Redfern on a score to put DP up three. The Griffins finally got on the board with 4:15 left in the third, but Redfern snuck one in on a one-on-one with under a minute remaining.
To the Griffins’ credit, they kept grinding along until the end despite being the seventh-seeded underdog.
Adi Gosselin scored for Los Al to cut the lead to 5-3 with 5:56 left until the buzzer, then scored another to make it a one-goal game with 49 seconds on the clock.
Coach Dave Carlson decided to pull all of his players to the offensive side of the pool to draw DP’s players back, leaving Neushul with a defender in front of her and the shot clock winding down. the strategy didn’t work as planned, and the sophomore buried it away to secure the championship.
“Their goalie is excellent, but it wasn’t just her that stopped us. It was their whole team defense,” said Carlson. “I’m proud of my girls for playing a good game with them.”
Dos Pueblos is now officially the team to beat in Division I, improving to 17-2.
DOS PUEBLOS 6, CORONAL DEL MAR 4
Corona Del Mar……0 1 1 2 — 4
Dos Pueblos………..2 2 1 1 — 6
Goals — CDM: Kaezmarck 2, Kennedy 1, Money 1. DP: AHill 1, Neushul 3, NMorelos 1. Goalie Saves — CDM: Baldoni 4, DP: SHill 17.
DOS PUEBLOS 6, LOS ALAMITOS 4
Los Alamitos…….0 1 3 2 — 6
Dos Pueblos…….0 0 1 3 — 4
Goals — LA: Dodson 1, Gosselin 3. DP: Neushul 2, KHill 1, Van Alphen 1, Redfern 2. Goalie Saves — LA: Smith 10, DP: SHill 12.
(Photos by Blake Dorfman/PresidioPics. To order prints, e-mail [email protected])
