Belen to play for state water polo title in battle of unbeatens; Aquinas falls in semis
Unbeaten versus unbeaten.
Miami against Orlando.
That, in essence, is the state boys’ water polo final, set for Saturday at 4 p.m. Host Belen Jesuit (19-0) will play Orlando’s Dr. Phillips (30-0).
Belen advanced on Friday by defeating Oviedo, 16-14. Dr. Phillips defeated St. Thomas Aquinas, 14-11.
In Belen’s win, the Wolverines were up 11-4 at halftime. Due to the comfortable lead, Belen coach Jimmy Aguilera started taking out his starters in the second period.
“We got complacent,” Aguilera said in Spanish. “Part of that is my fault. I started taking our starters out too early. I wanted to rest them for (Saturday against Dr. Phillips).
“I wanted our starters fresh. This (semifinal) was a game where we should have relaxed.”
Instead of an easy “relaxed” game, Belen’s lead was trimmed to 14-12 midway through the final period. That’s when Belen’s Carlos Veccio scored two straight goals to help secure the win.
Veccio finished with a team-high five goals. His twin brother Dylan Veccio added four goals as they combined to provide a majority of Belen’s offense.
Oviedo’s Vincenzo Micciche scored a game-high six goals, including four in the third period when his team rallied.
“I wasn’t nervous, but I was anxious,” Aguilera said. “I know how this is because I played for so many years. When a game turns, you lose momentum.
“But I kept trusting our guys.”
Aguilera praised Oviedo’s Micciche.
“He’s an Italian kid who played club for us,” Aguilera said. “He’s a spectacular player.”
In the earlier game, Aquinas fell behind 7-2 in the first quarter and never fully recovered.
Aquinas cut its deficit to 11–8 entering the fourth quarter, but the Raiders never got any closer than two goals.
“We let them jump on us in the first quarter,” Aquinas coach Michael Goldenberg said. “We didn’t play well early, but we made some adjustments in strategy.
“Also, we calmed our boys down because we are so young. We don’t have any seniors. One of our starters is a freshman. Dr. Phillips has five or six seniors.”
Goldenberg said Aquinas’ comeback came up short for a reason.
“We made quite a few mistakes,” he sad. “We had three one-on-none chances, and the ball didn’t arrive. We had a few extra-man opportunities that we rushed. We tried hard, but it wasn’t enough.”
Dr. Phillips coach Leonardo Leon Ramirez said his team played its style early, finding center Sam Collingwood or outside shooters Sole Fratila and Liam Ortiz.
Fratila, an Iona recruit, had six goals against Aquinas.
However …
“After the first quarter, that went away,” Ramirez said of his team’s easy success. “Aquinas did a great job taking that away. We fell into a trap. We were doing what they wanted us to do, and we went away from our game.”
How did Dr. Phillips hold on?
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Ramirez said. “Aquinas has one of the best coaches there is in (Goldenberg). He’s one of the best water polo minds.
“I was very nervous. We lost four of our starters to exclusions toward the end of the game. But this is why our backups practice. When they get their time, they have to get to work.”
Goldenberg said Dr. Phillips is “probably” the best team in the state.
Asked about Belen, Goldenberg said:
“It’s hard to tell until they play each other.”
In other words …
Undefeated versus undefeated.
Miami against Orlando.
State supremacy in water polo – and a perfect season -- will be on the line Saturday afternoon.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 9:31 PM.