Season ends for Estancia girls’ water polo after tiebreaker loss to Godinez

Lacking both an on-campus pool and a true goalkeeper, the deck seemed to be stacked against the Estancia High girls’ water polo team this season.

Still, the Eagles came into Thursday knowing that two winnable games were all that stood between them and a CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoff berth. Estancia finished tied for third with Godinez and Saddleback at 1-3 in the Orange Coast League, forcing a three-team tiebreaker for the final postseason berth from the league.

The games were played at Costa Mesa High, Estancia’s home pool this season. Coach Mitch White said that the Eagles would travel via bus to their rival school each day to practice from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

They won’t have to make that trip again this season.

Estancia was unable to repeat a victory over Godinez during league play. The Grizzlies turned the tables, beating the Eagles 6-4 in the first game of the two-game playoff to end Estancia’s season. The Eagles are unable to apply for an at-large playoff berth as their overall record this season was 6-7, below .500.

Godinez then beat Saddleback 8-7 to win the third-place tiebreaker and clinch the automatic postseason berth.

Between the two games, White had a lengthy talk with his team, which had just two seniors in left-hander Annie Mitchell and Zora McPhail.

“I just let them know that everything was stacked against them,” White said. “It happens. It’s going to happen to somebody when there’s a new pool being built. The hardest part is that players don’t want to get on a bus, come over here from 4 to 6 when they can just be out with their friends. They’d rather work out until 4, and then get out … [and] we’re still looking for a goalie if you want to put an ad in [the paper] for us.”

Mitchell, a former soccer goalkeeper, served the role for the first three quarters Thursday, and made seven saves. Estancia held a 2-1 halftime lead on goals by junior Bella Dunham and sophomore Gidget Brestel, but Godinez scored four unanswered goals for a 5-2 advantage after the third quarter.

At that point, Mitchell left the goal and went into the field, as she said she did when Estancia rallied for a 7-5 victory over Godinez in the teams’ league game on Jan. 17. McPhail went into the goal Thursday, making two saves in the fourth quarter.

Estancia took the momentum, trimming the deficit to 5-4. Mitchell scored on a counterattack assisted by sophomore Sydni White, then fed freshman Cassie Corrigan inside for a goal with 2:10 remaining in the game. But the Eagles couldn’t get closer. Godinez senior Priscilla Pereyra answered with an insurance goal, a strike from six meters.

Pereyra and Kate Rivera led the Grizzlies with two goals each, while senior Julie Cons was strong in goal with 17 saves.

Estancia, which won its first two playoff games in program history last year en route to the Division 7 quarterfinals, was unable to return to the postseason. But Mitchell, who was also the No. 1 singles player for the Estancia girls’ tennis team this past fall, said she enjoyed the team camaraderie.

“It was hard, but I think it really shows the merit of our team that the same seven girls came and tried, and we got as far as we did,” Mitchell said. “Obviously it didn’t turn out how we wanted, but it shows a lot about our players and our potential. We’re still a young team.

“I think [the tough circumstances] made a stronger bond between our team. I personally found myself getting mad at [my teammates], but I couldn’t help being happy when I saw them all.”

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo