Chlebicki, Marina Turn Tables on Villa Park

For the second time in less than a week, the Marina and Villa Park girls’ water polo teams played an overtime thriller.

On Wednesday, Marina, ranked fifth in Orange County, squeaked past third-ranked Villa Park, 6-4, in a nonleague game at Villa Park. Cara Chlebicki scored three goals, two in overtime, and Shauna Nielsen had two for Marina.

Last Friday, in the Villa Park tournament quarterfinals, Villa Park topped Marina, 6-5, after UCLA-bound Kristyn Pulver scored in the final minute of regulation for the Spartans (5-3) to help force overtime.

Wednesday, Chlebicki was the primary defender on Pulver and Marina (5-3) shut out the high-scoring senior, who took only four shots. With Marina consistently double-teaming Pulver when she was at two meters, Villa Park took most of its 33 shots from the perimeter.

Danee French and Cindy Henn scored goals from nine to 10 meters to keep Villa Park within a goal, 3-2, after three quarters. And the Spartans didn’t miss their other long-range shots by much.

“There was a little bit of luck involved today,” Marina Coach Drew Netherton said. “They had a lot of shots bar out on them.”

Seven shots hit the crossbar or goal posts for Villa Park.

On Marina’s first possession in overtime, Megan Bowers drove toward the goal and drew a foul on Villa Park’s Shari Meyer, earning the Vikings a four-meter penalty shot. Chlebicki beat goaltender Cara Colton with a skip shot for a 5-4 lead 17 seconds into overtime.

Chlebicki scored again with 1 minute 48 seconds remaining in overtime on a backhand shot from two meters to make it 6-4. Villa Park’s last gasp came with 49 seconds left when Pulver drove to the net but sent a shot wide right.

Villa Park forced overtime after Meghan Michel scored on a six-on-five with 5:01 remaining in the fourth quarter and Meyer scored from eight meters with 1:14 remaining in regulation to make it 4-4.

“I thought, ‘Oh no, here we go again,’ ” Netherton said. “We led 5-3 last week and lost, but we held on this time. This was a huge win.”

In another nonleague game:

Tustin 3, Woodbridge 2--Tia Motalvo scored on a four-meter penalty shot in the fourth quarter to break a 2-2 tie for host Tustin (8-2).