Santa Barbara’s girls water polo team almost scored a goal for every minute in the first half on Thursday, eventually posting a 19-10 non-league win over Mater Dei on the eve of the Tournament of Champions.
The Dons scored 13 goals in the first 14 minutes of play, gaining a 13-4 advantage by halftime. The two teams matched each other’s six goals in the second half.
“They were a little short-handed but it was good because we got to play everybody,” said Santa Barbara head coach Mark Walsh, ready to host his eleventh TOC starting Friday.
Santa Barbara freshman Sophie Trabucco makes a pass on Thursday against Mater Dei.
“I actually really love it. I always enjoy putting on tournaments,” Walsh said.
Makenzy Fowler led the Dons with five goals and added three assists, two steals and four ejections drawn. Charlotte Hendrix drew six ejections as Santa Barbara scored eight goals on man-up situations.
“We’ve had a lot of trouble in the past converting our six-on-fives into goals so it was nice to work on them and finish them off,” Fowler said.
Freshman Kelsey O’Brien found the cage four times and recorded three steals. Haley Burns assisted on four Santa Barbara goals and scored once while Olivia Cusimano scored three times. Hendrix also tallied two goals and three assists.
Santa Barbara, 9-5 overall, open up TOC play on Friday at 4:05 against Agoura.
“It’s good to get ready for some really difficult teams that we’re going to be able to play,” Fowler said of the Thursday night game.
If the Dons win their first game, they would play at 6:50 p.m. against the winner of Montebello and Los Alamitos.
SANTA BARBARA 19, MATER DEI 10
Mater Dei 3 1 4 2 – 10
Santa Barbara 6 7 3 3 – 19
SB Scorers – Fowler 5, O’Brien 4, Cusimano 3, Hendrix 2, King 2, Gonzales, S. Trabucco, Burns. SB Goalie Saves – M. Trabucco 4, Brooks 4.
