Tiera Schroeder saved the day for the Dos Pueblos girls water polo team at the Irvine Tournament Friday, grabbing three saves in the final period to lift the Chargers to a 9-8 quarterfinal win over Montebello.
In other tournament action, Santa Barbara was defeated by Irvine 7-4.
Schroeder played goalie only in the fourth quarter, as Nicole Morelos played the first three in the cage. It’s been a combination of the two since star goalie Sami Hill went out with a hand injury earlier this week. The team hopes she’ll be back in action for the playoffs.
Sami’s little sister, freshman Kodi, had a team-leading four goals — including the first three DP scores of the game — while Alex Hill added three. Schroeder and Kiley Neushul each had five steals in the field. Coach Danelle Little said that making the semifinals this weekend is a big accomplishment for the top-ranked Chargers, particularly due to the injury.
“The girls are really excited because we knew this weekend would be a big statement for us as to what we can do,” she said. “We’re just going out there and learning and having fun, because the pressure’s off without Sami in the pool.”
The Chargers take on Newport Saturday morning.
Santa Barbara was only able to capitalize on two of its 11 man-advantages, which coach Mark Walsh said led to the team’s demise.
Makenzy Fowler scored twice and had two ejections drawn while Charlotte Hendrix had a goal, two assists and three ejections drawn. The Dons also missed a penalty shot in the game on top of the 6-on-5 struggles.
DOS PUEBLOS 9, MONTEBELLO 8
Dos Pueblos…..5 0 1 3 — 9
Montebello…….2 3 2 1 — 8
DP goals — KHill 4, AHill 3, Neushul 1, NMorelos 1.
DP saves — NMorelos 5, TSchroeder 3.
