San Marcos put itself in an early hole and dropped a 12-8 decision to Murrieta Valley in an opening-round game at the Irvine SoCal Girls Water Polo Championships on Thursday.
“We were down 0-4 and we were 0 for three on six on fives. That’s a bad start,” San Marcos coach Chuckie Roth said.
The Royals fought back and pulled to within 9-7 in the fourth quarter. But a couple of lapses on defense allowed Murrieta Valley to score two quick goals for an 11-7 advantage.
“That was the backbreaker for us,” Roth said.
Murrieta Valley is ranked No. 2 in CIF Division 3. San Marcos is 10th in Division 1.
Hannah Koper paced the Royals with four goals, while Brittny Hummel had two. Goalie Alex Brown made seven saves.
San Marcos plays Millikan on Friday at Santa Margarita High.
