Murrieta Valley wins seventh CIF-Southern Section girls water polo title by defeating Downey in Division 2 final; Elsinore sets scoring record in Division 3, joining San Dimas, El Dorado and Anaheim as first-time champions

WALNUT – On a day when five first-time champions were crowned at the CIF-Southern Section girls water polo finals, Murrieta Valley added to its impressive tradition and legacy by winning a seventh title with an 8-6 victory against Downey in the Division 2 final at Mt. San Antonio College.

The Nighthawks (21-11) scored the first four goals and built a 7-2 halftime lead, before holding on in the fourth quarter to win their second Division 2 crown in three years.

Since losing to Riverside Arlington in the Division 5 championship match in 2006, Murrieta Valley has won seven consecutive finals appearances, adding titles in 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2016, before capturing the past two crowns.

Post-match interviews

River Elliott and Shiloh Hansen both scored twice for the Nighthawks, with Presley Judge, Grace Boyer, Tanner Chiuchiolo and Kaili Boyer adding goals for Murrieta Valley, which received seven saves from Britton Fleenor.

Murrieta Valley girls water polo team | Erik Boal photo

Hansen scored the lone second-half goal for the Nighthawks to extend the lead to 8-4 with 6:40 remaining, before Downey (22-5) had Alyson Rouse and Aleaha Gonzalez score to cut the deficit in half.

The Vikings took several perimeter shots against Fleenor late in the contest, but were unable to pull any closer.

Alia de la Mora led Downey with three goals, including a pair of 5-meter penalty shots, and Gonzalez scored twice.

Maya Jennings recorded 11 saves for the Vikings, who were seeking their first championship since back-to-back Division 6 titles in 2005-06.

Elsinore 21, Flintridge Sacred Heart 13: In the highest-scoring girls water polo final in section history, the Tigers (26-1) captured their first Division 3 championship at Mt. SAC.

Elsinore built a 12-4 halftime lead and continued its relentless attack against the Tologs (13-11), also a first-time finalist.

Elsinore girls water polo team | Photo courtesy of Elsinore

The Tigers also established the record for most goals in any division championship, eclipsing the previous all-time mark of 18 achieved by Santa Barbara in 2003 and 2005, as well as Santa Margarita in 2019.

The 34 combined goals surpassed the 30 achieved by Santa Margarita and San Clemente in the Division 2 final in 2019.

Yalissa Tellez had seven goals and Raygan Carroll contributed six goals for Elsinore, with the duo producing a combined eight goals in the second half.

Morgan Brett and Addisyn Dwelley also scored multiple goals for the Tigers. 

Marisol Cowles and Lily Waggoner both scored twice for Flintridge Sacred Heart.

Cowles amassed more than 300 goals in her four-year career for the Tologs.

San Dimas 9, Troy 2: The Saints (21-8) won their first Division 4 championship in program history, building a 5-2 lead following the first quarter and holding Troy (16-13) scoreless the rest of the way at Mt. SAC.

San Dimas girls water polo team | Photo courtesy of San Dimas

Madison Curtis recorded nine saves for San Dimas, which tied the Division 4 record for fewest goals allowed in the section final, as Harvard-Westlake prevailed in 2012 against Los Osos by an identical 9-2 margin.

Faith Kearns had three goals, with Ava Mercado and Bella Marroquin both scoring twice for the Saints, who also received goals from Isabella Santana and Chloe Perez.

Mercado received significant support on the pool deck from several L.A. County firefighters, after her father Michael – a fire captain – passed away in December.

Troy suffered back-to-back losses in section championship matches, including an 11-8 setback in the Division 5 final last season against Temecula Chaparral.

Since winning the Division 4 title in 2013, the Warriors have lost their last three finals appearances.

El Dorado 16, Santa Paula 4: The Golden Hawks (17-13) broke a 1-1 tie following the first quarter by scoring seven goals in the second and never relinquishing control to capture the first Division 5 crown in program history at Mt. SAC.

El Dorado girls water polo team | Erik Boal photo

Hayden Sparks, a sophomore, scored a match-high six goals for El Dorado, which produced the largest margin of victory in Division 5 finals history.

Kaleyna Chun added five goals for the Golden Hawks, who were making their first appearance in a section championship match since 2002.

Sofia Manzano scored the first goal for Santa Paula (17-13), but El Dorado pulled even with 3:24 remaining in the first quarter.

The Golden Hawks scored three times in the first two minutes of the second quarter and never looked back.

El Dorado shut out Santa Paula in the third quarter to extend the advantage to 12-2.

The Cardinals had never won a playoff match before this season, but secured four postseason victories to reach their first final.

Anaheim 5, Nordhoff 3: The Colonists (12-10) built a 4-1 halftime lead and relied on 11 saves from junior goalkeeper Emily Maldonado to capture the first Division 6 title in program history at Mt. SAC.

Anaheim girls water polo team | Erik Boal photo

Joscelyn Briseno and Rosabelle Estelles both scored twice for Anaheim, which allowed the second-fewest goals in Division 6 finals history.

Only Yorba Linda, which prevailed by a 5-2 margin in 2013 against Garden Grove Pacifica, has allowed fewer goals in a Division 6 championship match.

Cynthia Fregoso scored for Nordhoff (9-11) to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the third quarter, before Anaheim responded to regain a two-goal advantage entering the fourth.

Neither team produced a goal in the final quarter, with Maldonado preserving the victory for the Colonists.