Brandon Cowan had what coach Mark Walsh called “a breakout game” on Friday night by scoring five goals for the Santa Barbara boys water polo team. He certainly picked a good night to do it on.
The Dons held on for an 8-7 victory over Servite, Division-II’s No. 5 team, in a defensive battle that included a scoreless fourth quarter and five steals each from Ian Gamble and Jeff Churchman.
“I was really happy with our defense in the second half,” Walsh said after the match. “We did a good job of forcing outside shots.
Goalie Hunter Ploch gathered a lot of those up, collecting 16 saves. None were bigger than his last, with just a second on the clock to preserve the victory.
Churchman and Gamble added goals to their steals count and Paul Davis added another.
The Dons complete their weekend road trip Saturday morning with a 10 a.m. match at Esperanza.
SANTA BARBARA 8, SERVITE 7
Santa Barbara……..2-4-2-0 — 8
Servite……………….2-4-1-0 — 7
Goals — SB: Cowan 5, Churchman 1, Gamble 1, Davis 1
Goalie — SB: Ploch 16 saves.
