Foothill Sneaks Away With Title

Santa Margarita worked its game plan to near perfection and came within minutes of toppling top-seeded and defending champion Foothill.

But the Knights scored twice in the final two minutes of overtime to escape with a 7-6 victory in front of 1,000 spectators in the Southern Section Division I girls’ water polo championship game Monday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

Foothill senior Crystal Carroll scored on a lob from eight meters with 1 minute 22 seconds remaining to break a 6-6 tie.

“I take that shot randomly all the time,” Carroll said. “I just had a feeling.”

Then the Knights held on as goalie Emily Feher made her eighth save with 1:02 remaining on a shot by Katy Kunkel. It proved to be the last shot the Eagles would get as Foothill’s Katie Card stole a pass with 20 seconds remaining and the Knights ran out the clock.

Foothill (29-1) won its 22nd consecutive game--a streak that includes a previous 11-1 victory over Santa Margarita--and 36th in its last 37. Foothill is the first team to win consecutive Division I titles.

Foothill’s only loss this season was to Newport Harbor, 5-3, on Dec. 29. But Foothill’s two best players, Gabbie Domanic and Brittany Hayes, missed that game to play with the U.S. youth national team in a tournament in Canada.

Monday, Santa Margarita (22-9) gave Foothill all it could handle as the second-seeded Eagles scored more goals than the Knights’ first three playoff opponents combined.

Erika Figge scored her third goal with 24 seconds left in regulation to make it 5-5 and send the game into overtime, and teammate Kristina Kunkel scored her third goal with 47 seconds left in the first half of overtime to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead.

But Hayes scored her second goal off an assist from Breana Allison with 1:54 left to convert a six on five, setting up Carroll’s game-winner.

Domanic scored three goals.