World Title Has Southland Flavor

Santa Margarita High junior Kristina Kunkel scored three goals Saturday to help the U.S. junior national girls’ water polo team overcome an early three-goal deficit against Australia and win in overtime, 10-9, in the championship game of the fourth FINA world championships in Perth, Australia.

UCLA freshman Amber Stachowski, The Times’ Orange County player of the year last winter at Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley High, had four goals to help the U.S. to its first gold medal.

Kunkel scored two consecutive goals from two meters early in the second period and Stachowski scored with a man advantage to tie the score, 3-3. The lead changed hands five times during the remainder of regulation, which ended, 8-8. Stachowski and Ericka Lorenz, a sophomore at California and the youngest member of the 2000 Olympic team, scored in the second overtime to give the U.S. the victory.

Emily Feher, a junior goalkeeper at Santa Ana Foothill, stopped seven shots, giving her 44 saves for the tournament.