The @jserra_boys_water_polo team powered its way into the championship game of the Elite 8 Tournament with a pair of stellar triumphs at Harvard Westlake School in Studio City.
JSerra has won seven straight games, improves to 12-1 on the season, and will play in the tournament title game on Saturday.
The Lions drive to a title game berth began with a 16-11 victory over the Corona del Mar Sea Kings.
Junior Dylan Park scored a team-high four goals, spearheading an offensive attack that featured five players that tallied multiple goals in the contest.
Junior Lars Knepper also recorded a hat trick with three goals.
Juniors Cal Ulicny and Christian Yonker, along with sophomore Sasha Bjelica each found the back of the net twice.
Sophomore Christopher Koo, junior Andrew Schneider, and senior Daniel Constandse each supplied individual goals.
Junior goalie Stefan Vukojevic produced six saves.
The Lions next locked horns with rival Newport Harbor in a thrilling semifinal showdown that came down to the final second of regulation.
JSerra exploded out of the game’s opening sprint with suffocating defense and a relentless attack on offense, seizing a 5-0 lead with 5:29 remaining in the second quarter behind goals by Koo, Vukojevic, senior Joe Wraith, Bjelica, and Park.
Newport Harbor cut the deficit to 5-3 in 1:30 span of the second period, but a goal by Knepper re-established a three-goal Lions advantage at the intermission.
The Sailors continued to battle back and tied the contest at 8-8 late in the third and at 9-9 with 6:29 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Knepper, who scored a team-best three goals in the game, produced his final scoring strike with 3:32 left to give the Lions a 10-9 lead.
JSerra’s defense superbly weathered the Sailors’ final scoring opportunities down the stretch, including a strong knock away save by senior goalie Gianbattista Alessio on the game’s final play to seal the Lions’ victory.
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