NEWPORT BEACH – As if the numbers were mocking it, Santa Barbara’s girls water polo team struggled in 6-on-5 situations on Thursday and ironically lost to Palos Verdes 6-5 in the Newport Harbor Holiday Cup seventh-place game.
Santa Barbara managed to score just once on 10 man-up opportunities while allowing the Sea Queens to convert on four-of-six of theirs.
“If you do that you’re going to lose,” said Dons head coach Mark Walsh, frustrated that 6-on-5 situations have been a recurring problem this season.
“We played well all game. We just missed five 1-on-nobodies and we missed 9-for-10 on 6-on-5, it’s brutal.”
Palos Verdes took a 2-0 lead at halftime but Makenzy Fowler helped pull the Dons back in the third quarter, scoring under the arm of Sea Queen goalie Ali Solaro, then drawing a five-meter shot that Kelsey O’Brien converted to make it 2-2 with 3:19 left in the third quarter.
The Sea Queens responded with four unanswered goals, two coming with the shot clock winding down.
“We just got tired and we made some mistakes and they made us pay for it,” Walsh said.
Molly McBee gave PV a 6-2 lead with 4:23 remaining with her second goal of the game. Colleen O’Donnell also scored twice for the Sea Queens while Jordan Meyer and Fleur Poiesz scored once each.
Kelsey O’Brien brought the final score closer by scoring two of her three goals in the final 3-minutes plus and setting up Olivia Cusimano for another goal. Charlotte Hendrix attempted a last-second Hail Mary to force overtime only to have Solaro make another save on the on-target shot.
“She’s amazing. She’s definitely the backbone of our team,” Palos Verdes’ Poiesz said of her goalie. “Without her I don’t think we would be as good as we are. She saves us every single time.”
Santa Barbara finishes the tournament with a 1-3 record while Palos Verdes, the No. 1 team in Division II, went 2-2.
“We had some amazing games this Holiday Cup and I know we can keep going,” explained Makenzy Fowler. “We had a little bit of a step back but we’ll get past it.”
The Dons (6-5, 1-1) return to Channel League play on Jan. 7 against San Marcos.
PALOS VERDES 6, SANTA BARBARA 5
Santa Barbara 0 0 2 3 – 5
Palos Verdes 2 0 1 3 – 6
SB Goals: O’Brien 3, Fowler, Cusimano. PV Goals: O’Donnell 2, Poiesz, Vavic, Meyer, McBee.
Noticed that Foothill and Mitchell had a little more success against Santa Barbara the second time they played this week this week.
Noticed that Foothill and Mitchell had a little more success against Santa Barbara the second time they played this week this week.