Mater Lakes, Gulliver survive tests from Ransom to advance to state water polo

Miami Herald

18-04-2025

Mater Lakes' boys' water polo team used to have trouble getting through its district tournament not that long ago.
The Bears entered this week as the top-ranked team in the state.
The Gulliver Prep's girls' water polo team knows all about that kind of pressure as a perennial state title contender.
Both were tested on Thursday afternoon by capable squads from Miami Ransom Everglades eager to punch their own tickets to the state final four.
But the top boys and girls teams in South Florida responded when it mattered most.
Mater Lakes' boys overcame an early six-goal deficit to beat Ransom 11-10 in the regional finals at Gulliver Prep's on-campus aquatics center. The Bears (23-2) advanced to state for the first time in program history.
On the girls' side, the host Raiders withstood a tough test from longtime rival Ransom with a second-half comeback to prevail 8-6 and advance to the state semifinals for the third consecutive season.
Here's a look at how each team persevered.
'OUR YEAR'
Mater Lakes supporters donned T-shirts Thursday that read 'Our Year,' as the Bears stormed into the postseason with their best record in school history.
Ransom Everglades, a two-time state champion, nearly ruined Mater Lakes' season after storming out to a 6-0 lead over the first quarter and a half.
But led by Noslen De La Puente and Amaury Alonso, the Bears chipped away at the deficit until tying the match at 6 just before halftime on Alonso's third goal. Alonso would then give Mater Lakes the lead before Ransom tied the match at 7 on a goal by Lincoln Broad. De La Puente, who finished with four goals, put Mater Lakes ahead for good at that point scoring two in a row.
'I made sure to tell my team to not give up,' De La Puente said. 'We knew it wasn't over. As soon as we scored a few goals, we knew it. I remember three years ago, we couldn't even win our district and now look where we are.'
Alonso finished with a team-high five goals while Kevin Brancacho and Sergio Samada each had one.
Mater Lakes advanced to take on either Seminole or Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy should it also advance to state, on April 25 in the state semifinals at Belen Jesuit. The opponent will be determined after the remainder of Friday's regional finals are played.
'We've got two games left and we hope to win the state title,' Mater Lakes coach Nelson Dominguez said. 'We need to keep training and keep working hard because the teams we're going to face are very good. Ransom is a great club, but the kids stepped it up and that's why we have confidence in this group.'
The Bears have a core group with only four seniors, who hope to bring home the school's first state title next week as part of a potential sustained run of success.
'We just have to keep practicing and work on our chemistry,' De La Puente said. 'What happened in the first quarter can't happen again and it won't. We're gonna bring this home.'
Elsewhere in the boys' bracket, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (20-6) advanced to the state final four for the sixth consecutive season and will vie for their first state title since 2023. The Raiders edged Miami Country Day on Thursday 10-9 in the regional final.
Lev Konnikov had four goals and an assist to lead the Raiders while Samuel Eastaugh also had two goals and an assist. Marcel Valhalmi had nine saves in goal.
GUTSY GOALIE
Gulliver freshman goalie Sofia Beltran has a way of calming herself whenever she's about to try stopping a penalty shot.
'I go under water sometimes before facing those and exhale and go back up to reset and get the nerves out,' Beltran said.
It worked three different times for Beltran on Thursday as she blocked three penalty shots to help the Raiders rally against Ransom. Beltran finished with 10 saves for Gulliver, which next plays on April 25 at Belen Jesuit against an opponent to be determined after Friday's regional final involving Winter Garden West Orange, Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy, Orlando Dr. Phillips and Orlando Lake Nona.
The Raiders are looking to win their first state title since 2013.
'I felt very happy when I blocked those, but it was scary because anything can happen,' Beltran said. I'm very hopeful and I think we have a strong team and I'm excited to see what's out there.'
Kathleeen Serig led Gulliver with four goals while Emma Preston had a key second-half goal and totaled three assists. Mariana Bernal and Sophia Kingston each had a goal and two assists and Isabella Ten-Have scored the go-ahead goal early in the fourth quarter to put Gulliver ahead for good.
Gulliver trailed by a goal at the end of the second and third quarters.
Preston then tied the match at 6 with 4:40 remaining in the fourth. Beltran then denied Ransom on the second of three penalty shots. Ten-Have gave Gulliver the lead for good moments later. Beltran then stopped another penalty shot to keep the game from going to overtime.
Kingston sealed the outcome with a goal from distance with 22 seconds left.
'Ransom played a great game and we knew they would,' Gulliver coach Carroll Vaughan said. '(Beltran) is so young, only a freshman. We've got some good experience out of that. We haven't had a lot of competition since we left (a recent tournament) in Orlando. We're going to watch this game film over and over.
'I think they'll be ok and in a way it's good for them to see that vulnerability. I was really proud of them for holding their composure. They kept saying, 'We got this.' And we kept saying to just keep shooting. Our defense was doing what it needed to do and we held our composure.'
-Miami Country Day's girls (13-9) advanced to state for the second consecutive season after beating St. Thomas Aquinas 19-12 on Thursday. The Spartans will likely face top-ranked Seminole in the other state semifinal pending the outcome of the aforementioned regional final.