Newport Harbor boys’ water polo keeps humming, tops rival Corona del Mar
The Battle of the Bay boys’ water polo match brought a packed crowd to the Corona del Mar High pool deck on Wednesday night.
For Newport Harbor senior Lucca Van Der Woude, a transfer from Studio City Harvard-Westlake, the match represented his first — and last — Battle of the Bay experience.
“Talking to him before the game, he was like, ‘Will there be a lot of people?’” Sailors coach Ross Sinclair said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s a big crowd, it’s a cool thing.’”
Van Der Woude scored three times in the first half, and each goal was followed by gestures as well as a big grin.
“I’ve heard stories, but I mean, I didn’t expect anything to be like this,” he said after the match. “It’s my only Battle of the Bay, so I wanted to make it fun.”
Lately, Newport Harbor has been having most of the fun in this rivalry.
Van Der Woude and Kai Kaneko each scored four goals as the Sailors earned a 16-9 Sunset League win to stay undefeated on the season.
Geoff Slutzky and Connor Ohl scored three goals each for Newport Harbor (13-0, 4-0 in league). Fellow junior Mason Netzer dished out four assists.
Newport Harbor has now beaten rival CdM 16 straight times since 2016, which was Sinclair’s second year in charge at his alma mater.
He said he still remembers that 2016 loss, which featured a late CdM comeback, “vividly.” Since then, the Sailors have asserted their dominance.
They also beat CdM 14-6 earlier this season in the quarterfinals of the South Coast Tournament, on their way to the title.
“We talked about [how] for us, it’s just another opportunity to get better and develop some cohesiveness,” Sinclair said. “It’s kind of like a playoff experience and atmosphere, so how well can we communicate, how technical can we be and not get caught up in the moment? That’s always the message in this game. Winning and losing this game, if you win, it’s cool, if you lose, it’s not the end of your season.”
Senior goalkeeper Luke Harris had 10 saves for the Sailors, who led just 4-3 late in the first quarter after CdM senior Jackson Harlan ripped the back of the net.
Harlan scored a match-high six goals for Corona del Mar (12-4, 2-1).
But Kaneko quickly responded with a goal on a post-up move. Newport then added the first two goals of the second quarter — Van Der Woude scored inside before Dash D’Ambrosia drew an exclusion and scored — to grab a 7-3 lead.
“What I was most proud of, I told the boys, that every time they’d score a goal or try to get that momentum, I thought we did a really good job of controlling and taking the momentum back,” Sinclair said.
D’Ambrosia has a unique view of the rivalry, as his older sister Kendall played water polo at CdM.
“Growing up, 10U, 12U, you sit in the stands watching these guys and you’re chomping at the bit to be in this atmosphere,” said Dash D’Ambrosia, who scored a pair of goals Wednesday night. “Once you’re here, it’s just such an amazing atmosphere. It’s so fun for both sides. I think Newport and CdM both do a good job with their school spirit, and it’s something to be grateful for.”
Aiden Sexton, Cooper Harlan and Will Weir all added goals for CdM. Junior goalkeeper Vi Lues, a transfer from Beckman, made six saves.
Newport Harbor has scored at least 12 goals in every match this season and is averaging nearly 16 goals per contest.
“I thought we put together a pretty decent game against them,” CdM coach Lucas Reynolds said. “That’s kind of around the mark where they’re scoring on teams right now … Their transition is very strong, and they have multiple lines. They’re able to press really, really well, just because of how deep they are. The subbing is what really makes them special.”
Perhaps as impressively as the offensive fireworks, the Sailors have held every opponent this season to a single-digit scoring total. As a center defender, Van Der Woude plays a key role in that, as does Harris.
“We know that the most important part of the game is defense,” Van Der Woude said. “You don’t go to offense until you have the ball. So, I really wanted to make sure that everyone was structured, that we had the ball before anyone went to offense … Luke’s been so good helping me communicate to the team. He’s an amazing goalie.”
Newport Harbor returns to action on Oct. 2, with a league match at Los Alamitos. CdM, meanwhile, is the top seed in this weekend’s 16-team S&R Tournament. The Sea Kings open against Irvine on Friday at noon at Woollett Aquatics Center.
In the JV Battle of the Bay: Newport Harbor freshman goalkeeper Oliver Aguero made two penalty-shot blocks in the fourth quarter to help the Sailors earn a 10-9 win.
Cooper Kelly and Davis Kipp each scored three goals for the Sailors.
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