Here are my predictions, often wrong, for the girls’ 18u age group. The field is loaded with good clubs and players, including a number of potential future Olympians. I think the top nine clubs are Santa Barbara “A” (Santa Barbara), Regency, Newport Beach, SOCAL, Diablo, Lamorinda, San Diego Shores Black, Legacy, and Long Beach Viking. The first four clubs have a realistic chance of winning the gold medal. If my predictions are accurate, three of my top nine clubs (Santa Barbara, SOCAL, and San Diego Shores) will be in Group “O” on Day 2 and three will be in Group “M” (Newport, Legacy, and Diablo). The clubs that finish third in these groups will have a difficult time finishing in the top 8.
My apologies to any athletes I should have mentioned. I will gladly correct any spelling or factual errors if they are brought to my attention.
The Top 9:
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Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara, which shows us that a great water polo team doesn’t have to play with a traditional center, has just 12 players on their roster. I don’t think they can afford to lose one of their top players to injury, illness, or a red card. Of the 12 players on the roster, six are from Oaks Christian, three are from San Marcos, one is from Orange Lutheran, one is from Buena, and one is from Chadwick School. Every player on Santa Barbara’s 12-person roster will play Division 1 water polo and at least three are potential Olympians. Their roster includes goalie Alex Stoddard (Oaks Christian Class of 2026, Princeton, Canadian senior national team), center defender Aaliyah Kim (Oaks Christian Class of 2026, Hawaii), Charlotte Raisin (San Marcos Class of 2026, USC, youth national team), Bethany King (San Marcos Class of 2026, Harvard), Sophie Yonker (San Marcos Class of 2026, Michigan), Allison Cohen (Orange Lutheran Class of 2026, Stanford, 2025 junior national team), Mia Fabros (Oaks Christian Class of 2026, Stanford, youth national team), Makena Bygrave (Oaks Christian Class of 2027, UCLA, youth national team), Nicole O’Neill (Oaks Christian Class of 2026, USC), Julie Sweeney (Chadwick School Class of 2026, Brown), and Maryam Maamoun (Oaks Christian Class of 2026, Brown). Stoddard is one of the two or three best goalies in the tournament. If my predictions are accurate, Santa Barbara will play Regency on Monday morning. The winner of that game will qualify for the semifinals. The loser will have to win another game to qualify. Santa Barbara relies on a heavy press. They aren’t as good defensively when they are forced to play in a zone.
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Regency. Regency, Mater Dei’s club team, is playing without one of their best players, center Paige Segesman (Mater Dei Class of 2028, youth and cadet national teams). Even without Segesman, Regency is loaded with talented players, including goalie Sienna Sorenson (Mater Dei Class of 2026, USC), Kirra Pantaleon (Mater Dei Class of 2026, Stanford, youth national team), Delaney Hook (Mater Dei Class of 2027, USC, youth national team alternate), Riley Johnson (Mater Dei Class of 2026, USC), Maggie Ryan (Mater Dei Class of 2027, USC, youth national team), Penny Mauser (Mater Dei Class of 2026, Indiana), and Ayla Ackerman (Mater Dei Class of 2026, Michigan). Sorenson is one of the top five goalies in the tournament. If my predictions are accurate, Regency will play Santa Barbara on Day 3 and in the finals on Day 4. I think Santa Barbara will win both games but it won’t surprise me if Regency wins one or both of the games. Like Santa Barbara, Regency relies on a heavy press. They aren’t as good defensively when they are forced to play in a zone.
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Newport Beach. Newport Beach, Newport Harbor’s club team, is exceptionally well coached and probably has the best defensive club in the tournament. They have a deep and talented roster, led by, among others, goalie Sunny Brown (Newport Harbor Class of 2026, Indiana), center Gabby Alexson (Newport Harbor Class of 2027, USC, youth national team), Emerson Mulvey (Newport Harbor Class of 2027, Stanford, youth national team), Madison Mack (Newport Harbor Class of 2027, USC), Addie Ting (Newport Harbor Class of 2028, youth national team alternate), Kylie Robinson (Newport Harbor Class of 2026, UCSB), Sophia Verdugo (Newport Harbor Class of 2026, UCI), and Kennedy Fahey (Newport Harbor Class of 2027, UCLA).
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SOCAL. SOCAL, better offensively than defensively, is loaded with future D1 players, including goalie Emma Perrigo (Foothill Class of 2026, Brown), center defender Kaylani Zhang (Liberty High School in Texas Class of 2026, SJSU), center Sam Hofley (Coram Deo Academy Class of 2026, Stanford, 2025 junior national team and youth national team), center Bella Jurgensen (Orange Lutheran Class of 2027, UCLA), center Brooke Knisely (Beckman Class of 2026, UCI), LH attacker Victoria Cordero (Foothill Class of 2026, USC), Grace Henderson (Corona del Mar Class of 2026, Hawaii), Ava Rowe (Foothill Class of 2026, UCI), Maya Tovar (Huntington Beach Class of 2026, Pomona-Pitzer), Gianna Romero (Foothill Class of 2026, Concordia), Samantha Golden (Polytechnic Class of 2027, Indiana), and Chrissy Flynn (Leland Class of 2027, “Big 4”?, youth national team, the MVP of the 18u age group at the 2025 Junior Olympics). If my predictions are accurate, SOCAL will face Santa Barbara in the semifinals. That should be a great game. You have to pick your poison when you play SOCAL. Teams that don’t like to give up natural goals from center tend to play a heavy drop against SOCAL’s two dominant centers. This strategy allows Flynn and Cordero, two of the best perimeter shooters in the tournament, to get open looks. Teams that press Flynn and Cordero and rely upon their center defenders to guard SOCAL’s centers also pay a price.
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Diablo. Diablo, one of the top defensive clubs in the tournament, is strong up the middle with goalie Shelby Killingsworth (San Ramon Valley Class of 2027, “Big 4”?), goalie Adelyn Horciza (Acalanes Class of 2027, UCSD), center defender Natalie Whitfield (Arroyo Grande Class of 2026, Michigan, youth national team), and center Quinn Arroyo (Carondelet Class of 2027, UCLA). Lily Holloway (Campolindo Class of 2027, USC) and Ella Del Rosario (Acalanes Class of 2026, Princeton) are very good perimeter players. Center/LH attacker Kiley Arroyo (Carondelet Class of 2029) has “Big 4” potential. Killingsworth is one of the top four or five goalies in the tournament. To finish this high, Diablo needs Killingsworth to play at the top of her game and Holloway to be close to 100 percent. Diablo can’t afford to overlook Greenwich on Day 1.
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Lamorinda. Lamorinda, very well coached, is one of the two or three best defensive clubs in the tournament. They are led by, among others, goalie Sarah Wright (Carondelet Class of 2026, Michigan), center Lily Palma (Las Lomas Class of 2026, Stanford, 2025 junior national team), Roxie Tarantino (Miramonte Class of 2026, LMU), Ainsley Swan (Carondelet Class of 2027, UCLA), and Josie Haast (Carondelet Class of 2026, Indiana). If my predictions are accurate, Diablo and Lamorinda will meet in the 5th place game on Tuesday. That game could go either way.
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San Diego Shores Black. The SD Shores 18u team is comprised mostly of players from last year’s 16u team, which won the Junior Olympics bronze medal. This year’s 18u team has just two players who were on the 18u team last year: Aileen Shin (Bishop’s Class of 2026, UCI) and Lotte Lightner (Bishop’s Class of 2026, Cal). First-year players on the 18u team include goalie Gianna Adams (Valhalla Class of 2027, Stanford, youth national team), goalie Edie Nordan (Bishop’s Class of 2027, Indiana), center defender/center Ava Grandinetti (Bishop’s Class of 2027, Ivy League?), attacker/center Avery Boone (Valhalla Class of 2027, Cal), LH attacker Fiona Salatka (Bishop’s Class of 2027, Harvard), Farren Moss (Bishop’s Class of 2027, Princeton), Katie Johnson (Bishop’s Class of 2026, CMS), and Aviana Cavaiola (La Jolla Class of 2027, Michigan). Adams is one of the two best goalies in the tournament. SD Shores could finish as high as 5th. Watch out for them next year.
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Legacy (if Cici De Lucca plays). Legacy has been an enigma during the club season. On paper, they have a top-8 team with, among others, goalie Eden Stanley (Orange Lutheran Class of 2027, UCLA, youth national team), center defender Cali Craft (Orange Lutheran Class of 2026, UCI), center defender/attacker Juliana Palazzolo (Orange Lutheran Class of 2026, Hawaii), Eve Webb (Orange Lutheran Class of 2027, UCLA, youth national team), Cici De Lucca (Long Beach Wilson Class of 2025, Stanford), Ella Treglia (Orange Lutheran Class of 2026, UCSB), Liz Nicoloff (Orange Lutheran Class of 2026, UCSB), Maycie Brown (Orange Lutheran Class of 2026, Cal State Fullerton), Leopoldine Burle (High School Class of 2027, Toulon Water Polo, various French national teams), and London Mellon (Orange Lutheran Class of 2026, LMU). Stanley is one of the top three or four goalies in the tournament.
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Long Beach Viking (if Katherine O’Dea plays). An often underrated program, Long Beach is led by, among others, goalie Leila Sarris (Harvard-Westlake Class of 2028), goalie Teagan Shandrew-Pearsall (Long Beach Wilson Class of 2026, Bucknell), center Lucy Forrester (Long Beach Wilson Class of 2027, LBSU), center Keisara Penman (Harvard Westlake Class of 2027, Michigan), LH attacker Piper Federman (Harvard Westlake Class of 2027, Michigan), Belly Salley (Long Beach Wilson Class of 2028), Olivia Garcia (Long Beach Wilson Class of 2025, Bucknell), Synnove Robinson (Punahou Class of 2026, Harvard), and Katherine O’Dea (Long Beach Wilson Class of 2025, UCLA, named to the 2025-26 MPSF all-newcomer team). O’Dea is one of the best players in the tournament.
After my top 9, here are some clubs in the mix for the No. 8 through 12 spots.
Corona del Mar. Corona del Mar is good. They will probably win Group “G”, finish second in Group “N”, and finish in the top 12.
Clovis. Clovis is the strongest girls’ club in the CIF Central Section. They finished 12th in the Futures League Super Finals. They have a good goalie, Bay Burnett (Arroyo Grande Class of 2026, LBSU), and two “Big 4” recruits, Eden Coughran (Garces Memorial Class of 2027, Cal, youth national team), and Lucia Indart (Clovis North Class of 2026, Cal).
Rose Bowl. Rose Bowl finished 8th in the Futures League Super Finals. They should give Corona del Mar a good game in Group “G”. They have a good chance to finish in the top 12.
680 Drivers. 680 finished 13th in the Futures League Super Finals. However, they have since added two good Spanish players to go with a good goalie and several other strong players.
Santa Barbara “B”. Santa Barbara “B”, which finished 11th in the Futures League Super Finals, will probably finish 2nd behind Santa Barbara “A” in Group “K”. Santa Barbara “B” could finish in the top 12 if their top 16u players, including goalie Reagan Mack (Dos Pueblos Class of 2028), play in the 16u and 18u tournaments.
Stanford. Stanford will probably finish second behind Newport Beach in Group “A”. Stanford didn’t play well in the Futures League Super Finals, finishing 14th. However, they have a really good goalie (Ellison Brush, Sacred Heart Class of 2026, USC), perhaps the top LH attacker in the tournament (K.J. Hogan, Sacred Heart Class of 2027, Stanford, youth national team), and several other solid players. Stanford will probably play Greenwich on Day 2. The loser of that game can’t finish in the top 12.
Greenwich. Greenwich has the most successful club outside of California and several very good players, including Julia Gustafson (Greenwich Class of 2026, Cal), but they have a tough draw. Greenwich will probably finish 2nd behind Diablo in Group “I”. If so, they will have to beat Stanford (assuming Stanford makes it that far) on Day 2 to have any chance of finishing in the top 12.