San Marcos made program history by winning its first two water polo games at the Irvine Southern California Championship on Thursday.
The Royals opened with a 13-4 win over host Irvine and followed with a 13-9 victory over Murietta Valley. Senior Kelly Purling led the attack against Irvine with two goals. Kiki Para and Kate Coski each had two drawn ejections and goalie Megan Bergthold blocked a penalty shot in the third period.
Halie Johnson scored four goals and Paige Hauschild had three against Murietta Valley. Brittany Prentice and Haley Gellert each scored two goals. Goalie Jenna Phreaner made nine saves and Riley Heiduk had five assists.
The Royals get another shot at top-ranked Laguna Beach in the quarterfinals. They lost to the Breakers last week in a non-league game.
