Orange Lutheran goalie Lauren Steele never backed down from a challenge during her biggest moments of the girls water polo season.

Penalty shot in league at Mater Dei ... block. Late breakaways by Los Alamitos in the CIF-SS Open Division semifinals ... block, block. Fast start by Foothill in the final ... four blocks in the fourth period.

Yet for all her responses in high-leverage situations, Steele made perhaps her most daring maneuver during her freshman year of high school in Connecticut.

She moved to Southern California, in part, to play a higher level of water polo. She shifted her classes online to 5:30 a.m. and trained at 6-8 Sports’ academy in Fountain Valley.

“Never looked back,” she said.

This winter, Steele helped lead Orange Lutheran to its first Open Division championship. For for efforts, the UCLA-committed junior is The Register’s player of the year for 2022-23.

“She was the difference, I think, between us and other teams,” Orange Lutheran coach Brenda Villa said of Steele, selected the Open Division player of the year. “She’s just a student of the game. She knows the shooters. She’s trained a lot. It amazes me that a kid from Connecticut has been able to jam in so much water polo.”

Steele showed major progress in her second season at Orange Lutheran.

The 6-foot goalie led the Lancers (27-3) to two tournament titles and the Trinity League championship during the regular season. They won the Barnett Holiday Cup and Irvine SoCal tournament.

Steele was selected the outstanding goalie at the Irvine SoCal event and MVP of the Trinity League.

She continued her sizzling play in the postseason, recording nine saves in the semifinals and 11 in the final.

Steele also set a valuable example with her composure and communication with teammates.