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SANTA ANA — Santa Margarita’s boys water polo team entered a showdown against Mater Dei on Wednesday night with an earlier victory against the Monarchs but knew better than to overlook its Trinity League rival.
Especially playing at Mater Dei.
Looming over the Monarchs’ pool is recognition of seven CIF-SS championships and three Olympians.
“They have pedigree,” first-year Santa Margarita coach Ivan Buich said of Mater Dei. “This program is historic.”
Santa Margarita needed every bit of its focus to secure a 13-10 triumph and emerge as the chief challenger for defending champion JSerra in the Trinity League.
The Eagles (15-2, 2-0), ranked No. 4 in Orange County, overcame a 9-8 deficit early in the fourth quarter by netting four consecutive goals to separate against No. 5 Mater Dei (7-8, 1-1).
High-scoring attacker Evan Wu scored three of his team-high five goals in the stretch but the key for the Eagles in the fourth was defense.
With Santa Margarita leading 10-9 with about five minutes left, attacker David Greenfield stole the ball at the top of the perimeter with Mater Dei on the power play. The junior transitioned into a counterattack, worked a give-and-go with Wu and drew a penalty shot, which Wu converted with 4:49 left.
About 30 seconds later, the Eagles blocked an extra-man shot while goalie Pedro Mattiazo was excluded.
Santa Margarita’s defensive stand in the fourth also included three blocks from Mattiazo in relief of Oliver Beck (five saves) and a steal by Tannor Bachuber, a 6-foot-7 senior defender.
“(Mater Dei) gave us a big-time challenge,” said Buich, whose team beat Mater Dei 13-10 at the South Coast Tournament. “We were up for it. It was nice to get a good crowd … and for us to see what we can really do.”
Santa Margarita showcased a strong center attack with junior Logan McGann, who drew five exclusions and a penalty, and junior Zack Bottiaux. The Eagles went 4 for 9 with the extra attacker.
They also displayed scoring balance with seven different players netting goals. Bachuber and left-hander John Brossa each had two.
Santa Margarita plays at JSerra (11-3, 2-0) on Oct. 21.
“We’re going to do our best to prepare for them,” said Wu, who leads the Eagles with 78 goals. “To beat (Mater Dei) here … best feeling in the world.”
Ace Chen scored five goals and goalie Morgan Crichton had five saves and three steals to lead the Monarchs.
Crichton, a junior, scored on a nearly full-court shot to close the third. Chen, a junior, then scored off an assist by Nicholas Valente early in the fourth as the Monarchs took a 9-8 lead, their first since 1-0.
“It was a good effort overall,” said first-year Mater Dei coach Erik Zimmerman, who had two starters foul out. “We’ve got a lot of polo ahead of us.”