Breakers even their record

The Laguna Beach High boys’ water polo team held on for a close win over visiting Dana Hills on Tuesday, winning, 14-13, in a nonleague match.

Laguna took the lead in the first quarter, 4-2, but Dana Hills rallied to tie the score at 6 by the half. Laguna came back in the third quarter to score six more goals to take a three-goal lead.

Laguna Coach Ethan Damato said his team was just happy to find a way to win after they suffered a 16-12 loss to Villa Park in their opening game of the season on Sept. 12.

“Dana Hills is a tough team, so it was a good win,” he said. “It was important for our team and we hope to build on that.”

Victor Alcone led Laguna with five goals. Preston Head scored four goals, Robbie Quellmalz had three and Nolan McConnell two.

David Brunner had two assists and Quellmalz, Head, McConnell and Robert Chew each had one.

In the steals department, Alcone came up with four, Brunner three, Chew two and Head and Erick Henrikson each had one steal.

Laguna began play Thursday in the Riverside Poly Tournament, which continues today and ends Saturday.

“This is a big tournament for us,” Damato said. “We’ll get some games under our belt and hopefully will be able to match up with the top three teams in our division.”

The tournament will also give the Breakers an opportunity to assess Montebello — ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division III — a team the Breakers host Tuesday.

“We hope to get a gauge on our top competition and see where we match up with them,” Damato said.

In the Sept. 12 opener against Villa Park, McConnell and Alcone each scored four goals and Brunner, Head, Derek Knott and Brett Thompson each scored once. Alcone also had two assists, while McConnell and Quellmalz made one.

Damato said his team is making progress with each game, but still has a lot of room for improvement.

“We’re trying to improve with every game, defensively. With scores like these, we’re nowhere near where we want to be.”

Laguna is currently 1-1 and ranked No. 4 in the Division III poll.