San Marcos goaltender Jenna Phreaner
Riley Heiduk’s fourth-quarter goal was the difference on Saturday as San Marcos and Santa Barbara High clashed in Orange County at the SoCal Girls Water Polo Championships. Heiduk was the only player from either team to score in the final period in the Royals’ 6-5 victory.
The Royals fell 8-4 to Mater Dei in their next match and finished with a sixth-place result, the best in school history.
Royals head coach Chuckie Roth commended his goalkeeper Jenna Phreaner for her part in the team’s success. Phreaner stopped 12 shots against the Dons and totaled 40 blocks and five steals in the tournament.
“All weekend Phreaner made some remarkable saves,” Roth reported.
Santa Barbara won its final match in another one-goal game, edging Los Alamitos 7-6 on a sudden-death overtime goal by Kristina Garcia. Jessica Gaffney and Jessie Brummett both scored twice in regulation while Erin Mcgeoy tallied a score, an assist and three steals. The Dons earned seventh-place.
Both teams are heading into the final week of the regular season ranked in the top-10 of CIF-ss Division 1. Playoff pairings are scheduled to be released next Sunday.
