Kelsey O’Brien had a tough responsibility on Tuesday, having to guard Foothill’s star sophomore McKenna Mitchell.
The Santa Barbara High freshman ended up holding Mitchell scoreless while adding two goals, two steals and two ejections drawn as the No. 5 Dons picked up a 7-5 girls water polo victory over the No. 6 Knights down in Orange County.
Kelsey O'Brien winds up for a shot against Foothill's Olivia Cummins. (Photos courtesy Peter Trabucco)
Coach Mark Walsh has coached a pair of Olympians and a host of Division I players in his time, and he said he views O’Brien in a similar light.
“She’s right up there… She’s fast, she works hard, she’s highly skilled and she’s humble. She’s along the same line as a Miranda Nichols or Thalia Munro,” he said. “I treat her like one of my more experienced players.”
Walsh added that he doesn’t recall beating Foothill in the last four seasons. Charlotte Hendrix had a pair of goals while Makenzy Fowler had two goals, two assists, five steals and drew two ejections.
The Dons (5-2) take on Long Beach Wilson on Wednesday at the Newport Harbor Holiday Cup (Click Here for Tournament Schedule).
SANTA BARBARA 7, FOOTHILL 5
Santa Barbara…0 3 3 2 — 7
Foothill…1 1 1 2 — 5
Goals — SB: Hendrix 2, Fowler 2, O’Brien 2, Gonzalez 1. F: Boling 2, Snyder 1, Kruip 1, Cummins 1.
Goalie saves— Trabucco 2, Noll 7.
