Domanic Dominates as No. 1 Foothill Routs Irvine

Gabbie Domanic had six goals and four steals to help Foothill, the top-ranked team in Orange County, deliver a resounding message with a 13-4 victory over eighth-ranked Irvine in a nonleague girls’ water polo game Friday at Heritage Park in Irvine.

The Knights, who have eight key players back from last season’s Southern Section Division I championship team, appeared to pick up where they left off.

Foothill (2-0) built an early four-goal lead with its stingy defense, which held Irvine (5-1) to one shot in an eight-minute stretch to close the first and begin the second quarter. Then the Knights extended the lead to 11-2 in the third quarter with a five-goal outburst.

Brittany Hayes and goalie Emily Feher, both sophomores and returning All-Division I picks, played solidly. Hayes scored three goals and Feher had 10 saves for the Knights, who showcased their speed and balance.

Senior Vickie Brown scored two goals and Katie Card and Crystal Carroll each added one for Foothill, which had eight first-half steals from eight different players.

Still, Irvine Coach Scott Hinman didn’t sound dejected.

“We wanted to schedule this game early,” Hinman said. “One reason was to set the bar. That’s clearly been established. Both teams played hard and it was a physical game, but not dirty.

“I’m not disappointed. We played better than when we won Wednesday [against Esperanza, 5-2].”