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Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Mater Lakes' De La Puente and Gulliver's Beltran are Dade Water Polo Players of the Year
Both Gulliver's Sofia Beltran and Mater Lakes' Noslen De La Puente know what it's like to be part of a tight-knit water polo team that grew up playing together in youth ball and middle school. Winning together is even sweeter on such teams. Beltran experienced that this season as she and her Raiders' teammates finally won their first state championship together and the school's first since 2013. De La Puente is confident a day like that is coming at Mater Lakes, although the Bears had their own memorable season, reaching the state finals for the first time. Both were key to their respective teams' success and, as such, Beltran and De La Puente are the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade Water Polo Players of the Year. Beltran, a freshman goalie, is the Girls' winner after establishing herself as one of the best players at her position in the state. Beltran finished the season with 228 blocks, 40 steals and 19 assists, and was the anchor of her team's defensive efforts during some of the Raiders' most crucial matches. Beltran, who has been with the varsity team since sixth grade, came up huge in the state final against Seminole as Gulliver held its opposition scoreless for the final two and a half quarters after falling behind 4-1 early. The result was the Raiders rallying for an 8-5 victory. 'It was a mental game. At the beginning we were getting in our heads and losing hope,' Beltran said. 'But we just changed our mentality in the second half and took over.' Beltran stopped several penalty shots throughout the season and has developed the skill and confidence rarely seen in players her age. She is one of several key players who are set to return for Gulliver as it seeks a championship repeat. 'My blocking got better and I had more confidence in myself,' Beltran said. 'I just improved a lot on that. I'm happy and sad that this season is over, but excited for what's to come.' De La Puente became the centerpiece on a team, which broke through to the state championship match for the first time this season before losing a 10-9 heartbreaker to Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy. De La Puente and most of Mater Lakes' core grew up playing club ball together in the Hialeah area and have helped a young Bears program carve its own place among the sport's elite in Dade County. 'All of us grew up together and have been playing for seven years or more,' De La Puente said. 'It brought up our chemistry. They mean everything to me.' This season, De La Puente was a scoring force for Mater Lakes, but also learned more of what it took to be a leader in the pool. 'The ending isn't what we wanted but I'm so proud of my boys and we created so many memories this season,' De La Puente said. 'We got farther than ever and couldn't ask for more. We'll be back next year and get the job finished.'
Miami Herald
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Mater Lakes, Gulliver survive tests from Ransom to advance to state water polo
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.
