Improving Santa Margarita finishes second in San Diego

CORONADO – Santa Margarita's girls water polo team continued to show Saturday that it is a squad to watch in CIF-Southern Section Division 2.

The Eagles, tied for fifth in the division, placed second in the competitive America's Finest City Women's Invitational at Coronado High.

Santa Margarita fell to San Diego's top team, Vista, in the championship match, 15-11. Vista (12-2) took the lead in the second period and opened a 12-6 advantage going into the fourth.

The Eagles, ranked eighth in the county, scored the first four goals of the final period but Vista recovered.

Santa Margarita (13-6) reached the final with a 14-13 victory against El Toro, also ranked fifth in Division 2. The Eagles avenged a 10-9 loss against the Chargers on Dec. 7.

Their runner-up finish was a considerable improvement from a 10th-place finish in the event last year.

"That's a good weekend," Santa Margarita coach Kevin Ricks said. "It was a good game with El Toro. The game with Vista was a great learning experience for us.

"We have Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar this (coming) week. We have two great teams to again (help us) prepare ourselves for the CIF playoffs."

Santa Margarita also is preparing for its Trinity showdown against Mater Dei on Feb. 8.

Vista featured a pair of strong perimeter shooters in tournament MVP Sydney Witt, who is going to San Jose State, and Cal-bound Victoria Williams. Witt finished with seven goals while Williams added five.

Mackenzie Beck had four goals and three assists to lead Santa Margarita in the final. In trimming Vista’s lead to 12-10, Beck blazed a cross pass to freshman Haley Wan, who scored with about 2:30 minutes left. Wan scored two of her three goals in the fourth.

Santa Margarita nearly came back despite losing Carina Carballo to fouls in the third.

In the semifinals, Beck fouled out before halftime but the Eagles got a goal from Tessa deRecat with 56 seconds left to claim the victory against El Toro.

Wan scored a team-high five goals against the Chargers.

In the other semifinal, Division 2 contender Mater Dei (11-10) fell to Vista, 12-11, in the first sudden-death overtime on a goal by Williams.

In the third-place match:

No. 7 El Toro 10, No. 10 Mater Dei 9 (OT): Justine Morgan scored on a lob on a counterttack with 1:51 left in the first-sudden death period to lift the Chargers (13-5). The Long Beach State-commit scored three of her team-high five goals in the fourth period.

El Toro goalie Emily Browning made 17 saves; Mater Dei goalie Alexsee Wilcox collected 12, including one against a penalty shot.

Interestingly, it was the fifth consecutive one-goal game the schools have played in boys or girls water polo this school year. In the boys season, El Toro and Mater Dei played four games with matching, 11-10, scores.

Mater Dei went 4 for 8 on the power play; El Toro 3 for 8. Freshman Brianna Daboub scored a team-high four goals.

In the fifth-place match:

Santiago of Corona 12, Dana Hills 7: Danielle Styles scored three goals for the Dolphins (19-6), who trailed, 9-1, at halftime.