Stanford-bound Alexis Lee is one of the top girls water polo players around, but the young Santa Barbara Dons held the Ventura star to just two goals Tuesday in a nail-biting 4-3 win over the visiting Cougars.
“If she gets her hands on the ball there’s a good chance it’s going in. I thought it would be a high-scoring game, but I was impressed with our composure down the stretch to preserve the one-goal lead,” said coach Mark Walsh, who noted that Leah Gonzales nabbed three steals and did a solid job of covering Lee for much of the match.
Chloe Brooks had 13 saves in the cage for the Dons (2-1, 1-0 Channel League).
Santa Barbara fell behind 2-0 after the first quarter, but held Ventura scoreless for the next two and a half quarters. The Cougars (0-2 Channel League) drew within a goal in the final minutes, but the Dons made three defensive stops in the last two minutes to hold on.
Samantha King had two of the Dons’ three assists, and freshman Charlotte Hendrix scored a pair of goals.
Santa Barbara plays San Diego Bishops on Friday night in the Extravaganza at Santa Margarita High.
SANTA BARBARA 4, VENTURA 3
Ventura…………..2 0 0 1 — 3
Santa Barbara…..0 1 2 1 — 4
Scoring — V: Lee 2, Argend 1, SB: Hendrix 2, Fowler 1, King 1.
Goalie Saves—V: Simit 11, SB: Brooks 13.
Records—SB 2-1, 1-0 Channel League, V 0-2 CL.
