Dos Pueblos boys’ water polo knocks out Laguna Beach in CIF semifinals
- Share via
They say it is difficult to beat a good team three times in the same season.
But the Goleta Dos Pueblos boys’ water polo team accomplished the task on Wednesday night, ending the season of Laguna Beach in the process.
The Chargers beat the Breakers 14-11 in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Senior captain Dane Seybold led Laguna Beach (24-7) with four goals, and Zach Hornstein scored three times. Finn Leverty added a pair of goals, while Mason Gruba and Warren Rootlieb scored one goal each.
No. 3-seeded Laguna Beach, the Pacific Coast League champion, took an early 4-1 lead, but No. 2-seeded Channel League champion Dos Pueblos (24-6) responded. The match was tied 6-6 at halftime.
A power play goal by Seybold brought the Breakers within 11-10 with 2:18 remaining, but Dos Pueblos responded with a pair of goals by senior Grant Nelson, who led everyone with five total goals.
Dos Pueblos also beat Laguna Beach 17-16 in overtime in the final of the Santa Barbara Invitational in September, and 12-11 in the South Coast Tournament six days later. The Chargers advance to the Division 1 title match, where they’ll play top-seeded Mira Costa on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Mt. San Antonio College.
Laguna Beach, which had beaten Huntington Beach in sudden-death overtime to make the Division 1 semifinals, matched a program record with its 24 wins this season. Last year’s squad also had 24 wins.
