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  • Northwood's Jon Miller looks for an open teammate as Drew...

    Northwood's Jon Miller looks for an open teammate as Drew Presti of Woodbridge closes in at Northwood on Tuesday.

  • Northwood's Daniel Vo looks for an open teammate as Kevin...

    Northwood's Daniel Vo looks for an open teammate as Kevin Park of Woodbridge closes in during a Pacific Coast League game at Northwood on Tuesday. Northwood won, 12-11.

  • Woodbridge's Reagan Pittman moves the ball into Northwood territory at...

    Woodbridge's Reagan Pittman moves the ball into Northwood territory at Northwood on Tuesday.

  • Northwood's Jon Miller looks for an open teammate as Rhodri...

    Northwood's Jon Miller looks for an open teammate as Rhodri John of Woodbridge closes in at Northwood on Tuesday.

  • Northwood water polo coach Jocelyn Manderino holds her 1-week son,...

    Northwood water polo coach Jocelyn Manderino holds her 1-week son, Thornton, poolside along with her sons, Linden, 9, far left, and, Teak, 7, after the Timberwolves defeated Woodbridge on Tuesday.

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Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Staff Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.

Congratulations were due Northwood boys water polo coach Jocelyn Manderino for a few reasons Tuesday night.

Manderino called a bold timeout in sudden-death overtime and orchestrated a play that delivered a winning goal by JJ Meador that lifted the Timberwolves past visiting Woodbridge, 12-11, in a critical match in the Pacific Coast League.

Those moves would be enough to praise most coaches, but Manderino has separated herself this fall. She made her moves Tuesday just eight days after giving birth to her third son, Thornton Thomas Lewis IV.

Manderino was induced into labor Oct. 20 in part, she said, to help her juggle the Timberwolves’ schedule, which is extra busy this week with the Steve Pal Memorial and Senior Day. She returned to the pool deck three days later to coach.

While Northwood (10-11, 6-2) might have been physically exhausted in overtime against Woodbridge (14-6, 4-4), the Timberwolves followed the determination of their coach to tighten their grip on second place behind Corona del Mar in the Division 1 league.

“She’s an inspiration for all of us to keep working,” said Meador, who scored on a well-placed pass from Ben Tucker with 2:20 left in the first sudden-death overtime. “This is more than a job to her. It’s her life and she loves it.”

Manderino, a former All-County player at Newport Harbor who went on to USC, called timeout after the Timberwolves stopped the first possession of sudden-death by swiftly crashing on a pass into center by Woodbridge.

With the teams at full strength, Manderino designed an isolation play for Meador at 2 meters. She wanted Michael Garas to make the entry pass, but the ball ended up in Tucker’s hands on the wing. After Meador didn’t find an opening on his ball-side postup, he alertly backstroked in front of the goal and re-directed the pass for the winning goal.

“We’ve never done that (play),” Manderino said. “But, hey, it worked. … I got nervous because one of my players decided to switch from the position I wanted but luckily in the end, the passer, he did the job.”

Tucker not only made the key pass but also scored on a cross-cage lob with five seconds left in the second three-minute overtime that tied the score for the ninth time, 11-11. The high-arching shot answered a power-play strike by Woodbridge’s Kevin Park just 36 seconds earlier.

Tuesday marked the third varsity game for Tucker, a junior varsity call-up. “He’s stepping it up,” Meador said.

Northwood also made Manderino look good by going 6 for 6 on the man-advantage. Woodbridge went 2 for 5. One of the Warriors’ misses came at the end of regulation as junior lefty Reagan Pittman found the net but just after the final buzzer.

“It was a phenomenal game,” Woodbridge coach Matt Campbell said.

Manderino said coaching last week, one day after being released from the hospital, was “a little painful.” She mostly sat on the bench but spent plenty of time on her feet against the Warriors. And, yes, winning does wonders for comfort level for new mothers and coaches.

“Winning does help,” she said. “Today, I’m finally starting to feel more normal.”

In other games:

In the South Coast League:

No. 10 Dana Hills 10, El Toro 7: Bennett Williams scored four goals and Riley Zachary added 10 saves to lead the host Dolphins (12-9, 6-0).

In the Crestview League:

Villa Park 10, Esperanza 6: Bret Leiter score five goals and Sam Thompson made 14 saves to lead the visiting Spartans (2-0 in league).

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com