Los Amigos girls’ water polo falls in Division 7 final

Reporting from Irvine —  When the members of the Los Amigos High girls’ water polo team came into the program as freshmen, fifth-year coach Chris Roman said many of them didn’t even know how to swim.

Senior co-captain Andrea Aguilar was one of the players who came into high school with no aquatics experience.

“I came in afraid of the water, honestly,” Aguilar said. “I never set foot [in it], but basically from the ground up, we built upon each other.”

For his players to get from that point to playing for the CIF Southern Section Division 7 title, Roman was proud regardless of the outcome. The title game didn’t go the No. 2-seeded Lobos’ way, as they fell to top-seeded Los Angeles Marymount 8-2 on Saturday at Woollett Aquatics Center.

Los Amigos (22-7), which had an eight-game winning streak snapped, was making just its second CIF final appearance; the first came in 2012.

“It took us a while to get going,” said Roman, whose team trailed 5-1 at halftime. “I think the nerves and jitters might have gotten to us a little bit in that first quarter, but I think that they adjusted in the second half and kept us from scoring. [Marymount] is a strong team. Big, fast. My average height [of my players] is like 5-4, 5-3 … I’m super-proud of them.”

Senior left-hander and co-captain Briana Arostico and junior Briana Valencia scored the goals for the Lobos. Valencia stole the ball in front of the Marymount net and scored with 5:55 remaining in the first quarter, tying the score at 1-1.

The Sailors (18-5) had their way after that. Sophomores Reagan Whitney and Sophia Wazzan led the way, combining for seven of Marymount’s eight goals. Whitney had four goals and two steals, while Wazzan had three goals and five steals.

Whitney had scored from center on the game’s opening possession for Marymount, which had its lead cut to 6-2 when Arostico scored with 2:22 left in the third, but didn’t allow another goal.

“That was a total psychological boost,” Marymount assistant coach Nick Amstutz said of Whitney’s early strike. “We told them they have to come out with intensity. If we get that momentum on our side, it’s a lot easier than chasing throughout the game.”

Senior goalkeeper Natalie Albarran had a strong game with 10 saves for Los Amigos, which got three steals each from Aguilar and sophomore Marilyn Castillo. Junior Natalie Valentin, the hero of Wednesday’s semifinal win over Hemet West Valley with five goals scored, didn’t score Saturday as she was guarded by Whitney for much of the game.

Valentin did have two steals and two exclusions drawn for Los Amigos, which converted just one of six power-play opportunities. Valencia, junior Daisy Chavez and senior Michelle Maldonado also had steals for Los Amigos.

In the battle of programs vying for their first CIF title, it would be Marymount, a private all-girls school, that came out on top. Amstutz said this was not only the Sailors’ first title, but their first time making the CIF playoffs. Senior Grace Allegrette added a late goal for Marymount, the third-place team from the Mission League.

Los Amigos, the Garden Grove League runner-up, had a large and spirited crowd in attendance. Roman said that rooting section included many of the players from the 2012 team. After the game, Arostico smiled as she clutched the runner-up plaque and talked to Los Amigos Principal Vicki Braddock.

“It’s just amazing how far we’ve come,” Arostico said. “We’ve grown up together for years as a team, and it’s been a journey. It took us two years to become as strong as we’ve ever been, and I’m happy with the team that I came to the championships with.”

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