A Happy Ending for Mira Costa : Preps: Mustangs’ Dave Happy scores with 13 seconds left to secure a 9-7 victory over Peninsula.

The Mira Costa High water polo team took another step toward an Ocean League title with a 9-7 victory over Peninsula on Thursday.

Senior Jeff Miller led the host Mustangs (9-0) in scoring with three goals. Miller’s two first-quarter goals helped Mira Costa build a 5-2 lead at halftime.

The Panthers (7-2) fought back with three goals to trail 6-5 entering the fourth quarter. After Mira Costa, which is ranked seventh in the Southern Section III Division coaches’ poll, extended its lead to 8-6, Peninsula’s Rhys Williams scored with 47 seconds left to cut the Mustangs’ lead to 8-7.

But with 13 seconds remaining, Mira Costa senior Dave Happy’s shot hit the top bar and ricocheted off Peninsula goalie Greg Berini’s arms and into the goal.

Mustang Coach Mike Nollan thought that his team was in command at halftime.

“When (Peninsula) scored to make it 6-5 in the third quarter they called time out,” Nollan said. “They were obviously fired up and we were down.

“(The time out) gave me a chance to talk to my team. I told them Peninsula was working harder than we were and we were about half a body length behind where we should be.”

Nollan praised the play of goalie Eric Hess, who had nine saves.

“In the first quarter (Hess) really saved us,” Nollan said. “We made some defensive miscues and he made a couple of all-world stops.”

Mira Costa defeated Peninsula 7-5 in the teams’ first meeting.

“We are very staunch rivals with those guys,” Nollan said. “We play each other tough. Last year we split (two games) and I know they were extremely upset.”