SET 18U girls make history at USA Water Polo Junior Olympics

The Saddleback-El Toro (SET) Water Polo Club has had tons of success, especially on the girls’ side, at the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics.

So it might surprise some to know that SET had not won in the top 18-and-under division since 2009.

A group of motivated Laguna Beach High players helped change that this year.

Breakers graduate Charlotte Riches earned MVP honors as the SET Black 18U girls beat rival Los Alamitos 8-7 in the title match Sunday at Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

“This is definitely the perfect scenario,” said the Princeton University-bound Riches, who had a goal, an assist and drew two penalty shots in the final. “I can’t dream of anything else.”

Riches said she and her teammates were motivated to finish it off, especially after losing to Newport in the 18U final at last year’s Junior Olympics at Stanford University.

“We had that bad taste in our mouth, and we weren’t going to let that happen again,” Riches said.

Laguna Beach incoming senior Ava Knepper added three goals for SET, including the eventual game-winning near-side strike with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter. Orange Lutheran’s Allison Cohen added two goals, while Lancers teammate Sofia Umeda and Laguna’s Kara Carver added one goal each.

Former Laguna Beach girls’ water polo teammates Aria Fischer and Claire Sonne embrace Sunday after SET won the 18U gold medal.

(Matt Szabo)

USC-bound Laguna graduate Lauren Schneider had six saves for SET, which also sent coach Claire Sonne off a champion. Sonne, a Laguna Beach alumna who coached the Breakers for one season, said she’s headed to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Chicago.

Former University of Hawaii assistant Katie Teets is taking over the Laguna Beach job. Sonne said it’s a good choice, because Teets has “so much heart and so much experience.”

“The seniors and I joked that we were all moving on to college, and that we had to go out with a bang together,” Sonne said. “They just played every game like it was their last. For me, and for them, the theme all year was, ‘Embrace it, soak it all in.’ For me, once I made this decision to explore this new chapter, I just wanted to be in the moment. That’s what I told them, too.”

Brown University-bound Laguna graduate Cleo Washer added an assist and a steal in the 18U final, while Laguna Beach’s Jordan Schneider, Emmy Hensley and Presley Jones also contributed.

Jones won her seventh Junior Olympics title overall, while Carver has six.

The USA Water Polo Junior Olympics champion SET Black girls’ 18U team.

(Matt Szabo)

After a 2-2 halftime tie, Riches’ play helped SET run off three straight goals in the third quarter. She beat a double-team to score, then assisted Umeda’s goal. The next time down, Riches drew a penalty shot that Knepper buried.

“[Riches] has the most heart of any player and I’m just so proud of her,” Sonne said. “She’s just an incredible human.”

Los Alamitos rallied to tie the score twice, but never led in the second half despite the efforts of UCLA-bound goalkeeper Joey Niz (17 saves).

For some of the younger players on the SET 18U team, it was the second straight Junior Olympics title after they won gold in the 16s last year. This year’s 16s team, coached by Teets, earned bronze; Carver scored five goals in a 10-8 win over Channel Islands United in the bronze-medal match.

As for the 18s, they were undefeated in the Junior Olympics, including a 10-6 semifinal win over SOCAL Black earlier Sunday. And they got a nice surprise when Laguna Beach/SET alumna and two-time Olympic gold medalist Aria Fischer helped distribute their medals.

Fischer was this year’s Cutino Award winner as the nation’s top collegiate water polo player after helping Stanford win the national championship.

“Aria Fischer is my best friend,” Sonne said. “We were seniors together at Laguna Beach High School and she is such a role model to the SET club. She’s been around on deck and giving some words of wisdom.”

Vanguard 10U co-eds earn silver

The Vanguard Aquatics 10-and-under co-ed team made the Junior Olympics final Sunday.

Huntington Beach-based Vanguard settled for silver, as La Jolla United hung on for an 8-7 victory.

Ryan Pearce led Vanguard with three goals, and Ryker Abing scored twice. Titan Schilling and Mason Munoz added one goal each for Vanguard, and goalkeeper Caden Schilling made five saves.

Vanguard’s 10-and-under co-ed team earned silver.

(Matt Szabo)

First-year Vanguard coach Garrett Lee, a Huntington Beach High water polo alumnus, said he was proud of his team.

“I couldn’t ask for more,” Lee said. “They show up to practice every day and they’re ready to go. They’ve got that winning mentality and they’re never going to back down. You saw that game, we were down but we still fought.”