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The core of Corona del Mar’s boys water polo team stuck together for four years for the opportunity that awaited deep in Los Angeles County on Thursday night.
The Sea Kings seniors claimed a signature moment despite some choppy waters.
Corona del Mar overcame foul trouble, an overturned goal and a higher-seeded foe to claim a 9-8 victory in overtime at Oaks Christian of Westlake Village in a thrilling CIF-SS Open Division first-round match.
Senior Camren Simoncelli scored the winning goal on a backhanded shot from center late in the first, 3-minute extra period to lift the fifth-seeded Sea Kings (23-6), who edged No. 4 Oaks Christian (21-7) for the second time in three competitive matches this fall.
The strike from the UCLA commit came with 46 seconds left in the frame and shortly after senior goalie Chase Campbell blocked a penalty block to preserve an 8-8 tie.
Corona del Mar, a senior-led team, advanced to its first Open Division semifinal in its first appearance in the third-year, elite playoff grouping. It’s the Sea Kings’ first semifinal in a top division since 2014 in Division 1.
“It means a lot,” said Simoncelli, who scored a team-high three goals and drew a penalty shot. “We all play club together. We all hang out with each other. We’re all really good friends. I think the bond is what helps us a lot.”
“We just struck together,” he added. “We’ve been in every situation this year. … I wasn’t really nervous at all.”
Corona del Mar will face No. 1 JSerra, an 8-4 winner against Mater Dei on Thursday, in the semifinals Wednesday.
Campbell, one of the Sea Kings’ clutch performers last season in a Division 1 playoff win against Long Beach Wilson, sealed the victory by blocking a desperation shot at the buzzer. He also blocked a power-play chance moments earlier en route to finishing with 11 saves.
“He’s played really big,” Corona del Mar coach Kareem Captan said. “I’m really proud of him.”
Corona del Mar took an 8-7 lead with 2:59 left in regulation by converting a power-play chance after a goal by Simoncelli was disallowed because of a desk error signaling the excluded player back into play.
The clock was reset and the junior Jackson Harlan converted the extra-man chance.
Corona del Mar overcame starters Luke Zimmerman and Nathan Simoncelli fouling out.
The Sea Kings accomplished the feat by holding Oaks Christian to an 1-for-11 effort on the power play. They received strong play off the bench from defender Vitaliy Laptev, Aiden Anavim, Noah Gerard and Landon Castillo, who scored a power-play goal in the third.
Corona del Mar went 3 for 4 with the extra attacker and 1 for 2 on penalty shots.
The Wave League champion Sea Kings also endured Oaks Christian recovering from a spectacular, buzzer-beating perimeter shot before halftime by Harlan, who gave Corona del Mar a 5-2 lead.
Jackson Harlan y’all … CdM 5-2 at half pic.twitter.com/ctpfBFDknn
— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) November 3, 2023
The Lions answered with five goals in the third period to tie the score 7-7 on their buzzer-beater from junior Saul Biddle, who netted a match-high four goals.
But Corona del Mar, a squad that didn’t beat rival Newport Harbor this season but still made strides, hung tough down the stretch.
“We knew that we had an uphill battle,” Captan said. “Every time things started to kind of go the other direction for us, we regrouped. … We knew that we would have to be resilient. This group has earned that.”
Senior left-hander Charles Warmington, a Pepperdine commit, added two goals for Corona del Mar.
In other matches:
JSerra 8, Mater Dei 4: Goalie Jonas Ransford made 13 saves, including a penalty, to lead the host Lions (25-0), who played without U.S. national team attacker Ryder Dodd, who is competing in the Pan American Games.
Newport Harbor 15, Santa Margarita 8: Connor Ohl scored five goals and Peter Castillo earned five exclusions to lead the host and two-time defending champion Sailors (25-3). Newport Harbor plays Harvard-Westlake in the semifinals on Wednesday.
