Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei girls water polo teams win respective pools in impressive fashion at Newport Invite

SANTA ANA – Orange Lutheran and Mater Dei already have a Trinity League showdown scheduled Tuesday in a significant postseason tuneup for both programs.

But two of the country’s top girls water polo teams could add another showdown to their rivalry Saturday after each group completed pool-play competition unbeaten at the Newport Invite at the Tom DeLong and Jim Brumm Aquatic Center at Foothill High.

Post-match interviews

Orange Lutheran secured the top spot in its pool with a 12-9 victory Friday against Newport Harbor, which followed Mater Dei winning its pool with a 15-11 triumph against San Marcos.

Mater Dei (18-2) will square off in its semifinal at 9 a.m. PST against Newport Harbor (19-4) in a rematch of their Jan. 14 showdown, with the Sailors outlasting the Monarchs in overtime.

Mater Dei prevailed in their first matchup Jan. 4 to win the Bill Barnett Holiday Cup title at Corona del Mar High.

Orange Lutheran (19-2) will take on Oaks Christian (16-5) at 10:05 a.m. in the other semifinal, seeking a third victory this season against the Lions.

The Lancers produced a 12-9 victory Jan. 4 in the third-place match at the Bill Barnett Holiday Cup and earned a 12-10 win Jan. 17 at Oaks Christian.

The championship match is scheduled for 2:25 p.m., with the third-place contest held at 1:20 p.m.

Mater Dei is attempting to add the Newport Invite crown to championships the Monarchs have already won in January at the Bill Barnett Holiday Cup and Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

Mater Dei girls water polo | Photo courtesy of Mater Dei

Orange Lutheran has endured losses to Mater Dei at both events and is looking to win the Newport Invite for the first time after grabbing the title at the So Cal Championships last season.

Foothill, the two-time defending tournament champion, lost in pool play to Orange Lutheran and Newport Harbor, before rallying in its final contest Friday to secure a 13-10 victory against The Bishop’s School.

Orange Lutheran benefited significantly from the return of UCLA-bound senior Jailynn Robinson and junior Allison Cohen, who competed Jan. 14-19 for the U.S. national team at the Women’s World Cup Division 1 Tournament in Greece.

Cohen scored four goals, with Liz Nicoloff and Robinson adding three goals apiece for Orange Lutheran against Newport Harbor, with San Diego State-bound senior Kyla Pranajaya recording eight saves and three steals.

The Lancers scored four unanswered goals to close the third quarter, holding Newport Harbor scoreless for nearly a stretch of nearly seven minutes, including the fourth quarter.

Lydia Soderberg, a UC Santa Barbara commit, made nine saves for the Sailors, including a pair of stops on 5-meter penalty shots, and Emerson Mulvey led Newport Harbor with three goals.

Orange Lutheran opened competition Friday with a 12-5 victory against The Bishop’s School, with Estelle Karaba scoring four goals and Cohen adding three goals for the Lancers.

Fiona Salatka had three goals for The Bishop’s School, which fell behind 6-0 and was held scoreless for more than nine minutes to open the contest.

Mater Dei also added depth to its lineup with the return of sophomore Maggie Ryan from representing the Americans in Greece as well.

The Monarchs led San Marcos by a 13-7 margin with four minutes remaining Friday, before surrendering four unanswered goals in a little more than two minutes.

But Kirra Pantaleon and Riley Johnson both scored in the final 90 seconds to help Mater Dei regroup and secure a third consecutive victory against San Marcos after suffering a 10-8 loss Dec. 7 against the Royals.

Pantaleon had five goals, with Penny Mauser, Delaney Hook and Johnson all scoring twice for Mater Dei, which received a goal from Ryan, along with 11 saves by USC-bound junior Sienna Sorensen.

Lucy Haaland-Ford, who competed on the U.S. national team in Greece along with fellow San Marcos standout Charlotte Raisin, led the Royals (16-8) with five goals and Naomi Enright added a pair of goals.

Oaks Christian prevailed by a 12-11 margin Thursday in overtime against San Marcos to finish second in the pool behind Mater Dei and earn a berth in the semifinals.

Mater Dei relied on a pair of significant runs to achieve a 16-8 victory Friday against Oaks Christian.

The Monarchs scored all four goals in the opening quarter, before having the lead cut to 8-7 midway through the third.

But Mater Dei responded with six consecutive goals during the next seven minutes to pull away from the Lions.

Pantaleon and Ryan both had four goals, with Hook contributing three goals and Jessica Reagan scoring twice for the Monarchs.

Aaliyah Kim had three goals and Mia Fabros added two goals for Oaks Christian.

San Marcos, which received six goals Friday from Raisin in a 13-6 victory against Laguna Beach, will face The Bishop’s School in the fifth-place semifinals at 11:10 a.m. Saturday. Laguna Beach squares off against Foothill at 12:15 p.m.