By As Dan Albano said in his most recent podcast, sometimes the semifinals are the best matches of the tournament. So it should be today in Irvine with two monstrous games in D-1 and several more excellent ones throughout the field.
D-1: Loyola should be out for revenge after 2009’s very tough upset loss to El Toro in Los Angeles. Not expected to be as strong this year after the graduation of Nicola Vavic, Loyola has surprised many with an excellent season, competing for the top ranking in D-1 throughout the season. But El Toro has been similarly good if not more so. This should be an excellent match, perhaps the best of the evening. But this is where El Toro is most often at its best. It will win a close match to return to the title game once again.
Meanwhile, Dos Pueblos derailed Newport’s aspirations to return to the title match and face Mater Dei. Does anyone remember just how inconsequential Mater Dei was in water polo not a decade ago? Now, it is perhaps the most intimidating program in the nation with a seemingly endless pipeline of youthful talent to take the place of those who inconveniently have to graduate. Already they are penciled in as number one in the 2011 polls among many.
But not this year.
Dos Pueblos is the upset pick for 2010. Their experience and confidence will overcome the youth and talent of the Monarchs, and the team from Goleta goes on to the finals.
Don’t worry, Mater Dei will be back.
D-2: Foothill’s Paul Reynolds or Corona del Mar’s Chase Watson? Speed, defense and outside shooting or mass and brute force? I’ll take the latter. CDM has improved throughout the season after a close loss to Foothill very early. Reynolds is a marvelous player. But Foothill doesn’t have enough to overcome the sheer size of CdM. The SeaKings prevail.
Murrieta Valley? How can they possibly compete with a program so laden with history as Long Beach Wilson? Who knew that there was even quality water polo on I-15?
The Wilson community desperately seeks to return to D-1 status. But with the relative weakness of the rest of the Moore League, and the confused state of the feeder programs that for so long supplied the Bruins with its talent, it has much work to do. Why the requiem? Because the upstarts from the Inland Empire move on convincingly. They have proven themselves throughout the state losing only to the very top teams. And they genuinely threatened to take down Loyola in an excellent match in Palo Alto. They’re the real thing. The Bruins’ very good season ends; the Nighthawks advance to the finals.
