BWP: Royals finish 6th at Pal Memorial tourney

San Marcos suffered a heartbreaking 8-7 water polo loss to Mira Costa in the fifth-place game at the Steve Pal Memorial Tournament on Saturday.

Mira Costa scored the game winner on a penalty shot with nine seconds left the game. The Royals led 4-0 after the first period. Ben Hauschild had three goals and George Kuesis added two.

Earlier, the Royals lost 12-7 against Righetti and defeated El Toro 13-7. Hauschild had three goals in the Righetti game and four goals in the win over El Toro. Adam Fuller and Spencer Wood also scored foul goals against El Toro.

“I was really proud of the way both Ben Hauschild and Adam Fuller played all weekend, really stepping up on the offensive side of the ball,” said San Marcos coach Jeff Ashton.

Goalie Jack Palmer made 13 saves in the Mira Costa game.