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.'
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