Brea Olinda boys water polo team edges Irvine to reach Saturday’s CIF Division 2 finals

Gavin Templeton of Brea Olinda looks for a teammate to pass to in the semifinal match vs. Irvine. (Photos courtesy Jim Tomlin, For OC Sports Zone).

Brea Olinda High School’s boys water polo team defeated Irvine 9-8 Tuesday evening in the CIF Division 2 semifinals at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine to advance into Saturday’s championship match.

The Wildcats (19-7) will face Capistrano Valley (18-12) at the Mt. San Antonio College Complex at 1:10 p.m. Capo Valley advanced with a 13-11 victory over Dos Pueblos.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

Irvine's Sean Dory (left) and Ethan Tergina of Brea Olinda battle for the ball.

Rubin Jang of Brea Olinda is pressured by Irvine's Sam Bowman.

Irvine's Liam Mayer gets ready to take a shot as Rubin Jang of Brea Olinda defends.

Russ DiCesaris of Brea Olinda (left) fights for possession vs. Irvine.

Irvine's Cina Banai gets ready to take a shot as Noah Wilkinson of Brea Olinda defends.

Zach Believeau of Irvine maintains possession as Ethan Tergina of Brea Olinda defends.

Irvine's Sam Bowman gets ready to take a shot.

Ethan Tergina of Brea Olinda maintains possession.

Russ DiCesaris of Brea Olinda takes a shot as Irvine goalie Maddox Kreil defends.

Gavin Templeton scored four goals, Kyle Franks and Noah Wilkinson had two goals each and Russ DiCesaris had one goal for Brea Olinda.

“Reaching CIF finals is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication from the entire team,” said Brea Olinda Coach Damian Madrigal. “It’s an accomplishment we’re proud of, but we’re focused on taking the next step and finishing strong.”

“It has been very exciting to watch these boys grow and develop as players and as a team,” added Athletic Director Pam Valenti. “Despite having to play the last three rounds away, they stuck to the plan and played as a team and were rewarded for those efforts. We are very proud of them and excited for the championship match.”

Irvine (20-14) was led by Sam Bowman, who had five goals. Sean Dory, Isaac Rogers and Cina Banai each had one goal. Goalie Maddox Kreil had 10 saves.

“Overall I thought we played a good game,” said Irvine Coach Jose Miguel Cordero. “We just came out flat in the first quarter and it took us a little too long to get going which resulted in having to chase the entire game.

“Missed a couple of opportunities that could have given us the lead and overall Brea made the shots when they counted the most. The season in my opinion was a success even though I feel we could have gone all the way but in general going from one month ago where we were under .500 to competing in a CIF semifinal is something to be proud of.”

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com