Santa Barbara High’s boys water polo team is the Division 2 runner-up. (Presidio Sports Photos)
IRVINE – Agoura’s top-ranked boys water polo team won the program’s third straight CIF Championship on Saturday by defeating second-seeded Santa Barbara 7-4 in the Division 2 title match played at the William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.
The Chargers’ Szabolcs Magyari caught fire and scored a game-high five goals for Agoura, whose junior goalie Dominick Beaudine held the Dons in check on the other side of the pool.
“Their goalie played good – he played great actually – I don’t know how many saves he had but it seemed like he got to a lot of corners. That was the difference,” said Dons head coach Mark Walsh.
Beaudine and the Chargers defense allowed just 17 goals in four playoff victories.
“We usually score about 10 goals a game so their defense was great,” Walsh said.
Beaudine collected 12 saves in a championship performance. The Chargers had allowed just three goals before Santa Barbara’s Spencer Smith scored with 15 seconds remaining.
“We had a saying actually, earlier in the year, we came up with this little catchy rhyme thing that says ‘defend till the end’,” Beaudine said. “Both meaning, in the water and also as defending champs from division 4, so we really came together each one of us.”
The Chargers (27-5) won CIF titles in Division 4 in 2010 and 2011 before moving up to Division 2 this season. Agoura was ranked No. 1 from preseason to the finish line.
“Just winning in general feels pretty good, especially for us as a team, all our hard work finally paying off,” Beaudine said. ?”It’s a wonderful feeling. ?I mean, a lot of people don’t get a chance to feel this and those that do they really have to enjoy it because it’s something else.”
Agoura never trailed at any point in the match and led by at least three goals throughout the second half. The situation would have been much different if not for a three-minute stretch in the second quarter when Agoura packed in four quick goals. Three came from Magyari.
“This was the only outcome that was possible,” Magyavi said. “The amount of work that we put in, and the game-plan was just unbeatable.”
Santa Barbara, the Channel League champion, finishes its season with a 22-9 record. The Dons will lose 11 seniors to graduation. Three of them – Evan Robertson, Nate Hunter and Mason Pereira – scored in their final game.
AGOURA 7, SANTA BARBARA 4
SB 0 2 1 1 – 4
A ? 1 4 1 1 – 7
SB Goals – Periera, Robertson, Hunter, Smith
Agoura Goals – Magyari 5, Vilches, Gardhouse
