WALNUT – With more than 60 CIF-Southern Section championships in the school’s history that spans nearly 25 years, it is a significant achievement for any Oaks Christian athletic program to become the first to accomplish a goal or reach a level of success never previously celebrated in Westlake Village.
That’s exactly what the Lions girls water polo team did Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College, securing a 7-5 victory against Newport Harbor to win the school’s first Open Division title in any sport, as well as the second championship in program history, along with the Division 3 crown in 2019 under coach Jack Kocur.
Oaks Christian (22-7) also became the first water polo program, regardless of gender, from outside Orange County to win an Open Division championship since the bracket was added to the boys schedule in 2021 and was included in the girls postseason for the first time in 2022.
Alex Stoddard had 13 saves, including a block of a 5-meter penalty shot by Valery Verdugo in the second quarter, to help the Lions hold seven-time section champion Newport Harbor (24-6) scoreless for a stretch of 12:50 from the first to third quarters.
Alex Stoddard of Oaks Christian girls water polo | Photo courtesy of Oaks Christian
It also marked the lowest scoring output of the season for the Sailors, who suffered their first loss in a section final since a 10-7 setback in the Division 1 championship to Laguna Beach in 2014.
Madison Mack scored back-to-back goals less than a minute apart in the first quarter to give Newport Harbor a 2-1 lead, but Oaks Christian responded with five unanswered goals – including three from Mia Fabros – to grab the momentum.
The Lions, who overcame a four-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime Tuesday in a 12-11 pool-play victory at top-seeded Mater Dei, built a four-goal advantage with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter against Newport Harbor.
The Sailors cut the deficit in half by the end of the quarter on goals by Campbell Pence and Mack to pull within 6-4.
Emerson Mulvey produced her lone goal to bring Newport Harbor as close as 6-5 with 3:39 remaining, before Makena Bygrave ended a 10-minute scoreless drought for the Lions by capitalizing on a 6-on-5 opportunity with 2:12 left to regain a two-goal advantage.
Bygrave, who had five goals to support Fabros scoring six times against Mater Dei, added three steals Saturday for Oaks Christian.
Oaks Christian girls and boys water polo teams | Photo courtesy of Oaks Christian
Nicole O’Neill, a USC commit, followed her winning goal with 43 seconds remaining in the second three-minute overtime period at Mater Dei by scoring twice and adding an assist against Newport Harbor, with Aaliyah Kim also scoring for the Lions.
Lydia Soderberg, a UC Santa Barbara signee, recorded eight saves for the Sailors, who outlasted two-time Open Division champion Orange Lutheran with a 12-11 sudden-death overtime victory Tuesday at Orange Coast College.
Newport Harbor was attempting to duplicate its sweep of the Open Division boys and girls water polo championships in the same school year, which coach Ross Sinclair achieved in 2021-22, but Oaks Christian secured its second victory this season against the Sailors, along with an 11-10 triumph Dec. 6 at home.
The Lions, who joined Orange Lutheran and Newport Harbor as Open Division girls water polo champions, extended their winning streak to six in a row since a 12-7 loss Dec. 25 to the Sailors at the Newport Invite.