CCA girls water polo wins second CIF championship

Ahead of the fourth quarter in the San Diego Section Division II girls water polo final, Canyon Crest Academy fans loudly chanted, “CCA! CCA!” In turn, goalie Avery Larson yelled to her teammates, “Let’s go!”

The third-seeded Ravens, once down by two goals, took a two-goal lead into the final period and proceeded to close out a 6-3 victory over University City for a repeat title in a move up from Division III at La Jolla High on Saturday.

“We have amazing parents who are really supportive, and I’m always high energy, and my team as well,” said Larson, a junior transfer from Bishop’s, who made 14 saves. “We were ready to win it. We wanted it really badly.”

Sophomore Zoe Chan converted back-to-back goals opening the third quarter to put Canyon Crest (20-7) ahead 3-2 as part of a 5-0 surge against the No. 5 Centurions (19-9).

“We’ve all gone through so much together,” said Chan, a second-year starter. “When we really need it, we pull together and try to get our goal.”

Annie Richard and Megan Tomasi also scored two goals each for the Ravens under first-year coach Nicholas Ratekin.