WATER POLO NATIONAL JUNIOR OLYMPICS:

IRVINE — Jason Lynch was eager to watch his future players.

The 16-and-under players were ready to make an impression on the Newport Harbor High boys’ water polo coach.

A couple of Newport Water Polo Foundation players began firing away before it was time to do so in their final match at the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics Tuesday.

Newport’s gold division championship match was close to a half an hour behind schedule. One of the referees warned Newport when one of its balls landed in the bronze medal match he was officiating.

Coach Brian Melstrom made sure they stopped.

“Relax!” he told his team, which anxiously waited to play the Cal Baptist University Lancers.

Once play began, it was someone else controlling Newport in the water.

Evan Vardayou created problems for Newport with his aggressive play and left-handed shot. He scored three goals and opened things up for teammates to lead CBUL to a 7-5 victory at Irvine High.

Lynch still came away impressed with how Newport battled back in the four-day tournament.

“They played a lot harder today than the other games that I watched,” Lynch said. “They lost the first two games [of the tournament] and they shouldn’t have.

“Then it was the challenge of, ‘OK, can we get to the gold medal game?’ And they did that. That says a lot about them.”

Newport showed a lot of resolve after dropping out of the highest division, the platinum, which Coast, made up of players from Corona del Mar, placed seventh in.

Melstrom said Newport won four straight in the gold division before losing again. By then, Newport secured a spot in the gold medal match against CBUL.

The two teams met earlier in the tournament, Newport won, 7-4. This time CBUL changed its strategy and Newport struggled adapting.

One of the players Lynch kept a close eye on, Andrew Duhoux, a sophomore-to-be, couldn’t believe it worked.

“They would drop and come and press us,” Duhoux said. “We wouldn’t know what to do with the ball.”

This left Newport with minimal scoring opportunities after the two teams exchanged goals in the first 11 minutes.

Vardayou took over in the start of the second half.

He constantly attacked, putting Davy Jorth in precarious situations. Jorth’s best chance of stopping Vardayou was to foul him.

Vardayou recorded his hat trick on a six-on-five advantage, giving CBUL a 5-4 lead with 2:33 left in the third period.

The goal didn’t hurt Newport as much as Jorth picking up his third exclusion almost a minute later. It ended his day in the pool and Newport’s chances of keeping it closer than a two-goal deficit.

“It feels good,” Vardayou, a junior-to-be at Santiago High, said of beating Newport. “It feels really good.”

Both Lynch and Melstrom also felt good afterward.

They took honor in the fact their teams are comprised of players who play at Newport Harbor, or will in the future.

Lynch’s 18-and-under boys’ team finished 10th in the platinum division. Newport also beat its rival, Coast, 10-5, on Monday.

The two almost met in Tuesday’s ninth-place match. If it wasn’t for Coast losing to Chino Hills Area Water Polo, Coast would’ve had a chance to better its 11th-place showing.

“We pride ourselves on this being our high school team,” said Melstrom, Lynch’s assistant. “A lot of these [teams here] are top club teams. Whether we place in first, or we place 26th, it’s all about improving as a group [before the fall season].”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].