The Santa Barbara boys water polo team was without starting defensive specialists Chris Gaffney and Sawyer Rhodes, and that proved to be the difference as the Dons suffered a 9-3 defeat at the hands of Righetti on Tuesday at home.
Jack Rottman got the Dons off to a hot start with two consecutive goals early on while Adam Gross also tacked on a score of his own. The Dons had only a one point deficit to overcome at the half as they trailed 4-3. But Righetti went on a 5-0 run in the second half to secure a 9-3 victory.
Coach Mark Walsh praised the play of goalkeeper Justyn Barrios who had 6 saves and 2 steals on the day.
Santa Barbara drops to 3-3 with the loss but looks to bounce back next Tuesday when they host Malibu in a non-league matchup.
