As a Goalie, Feher Is Watertight

Emily Feher of Santa Ana Foothill High is a sports prodigy with many admirers.

No, she doesn’t need a bodyguard to protect her from overzealous fans and doesn’t wear sunglasses to disguise herself.

But anyone who follows girls’ water polo knows her reputation.

“She’s the best 17-year-old goalie in the world,” said Guy Baker, coach of the U.S. national women’s water polo team.

There’s a direct correlation between Feher arriving at Foothill as a freshman four years ago and the Knights winning three consecutive Southern Section Division I championships. This season, they are 25-0.

To beat Foothill, opponents must find a way to get the ball past the 5-foot-8 Feher.

It doesn’t happen often.

“She can read a shooter better than most,” said Dave Mikesell, Foothill’s co-coach. “It’s difficult for goalies to do that. It really can’t be taught.”

Soccer’s loss was water polo’s gain when Feher switched sports as a seventh-grader. Her club soccer team split up, so it was time to try a new sport. She hardly fit the portrait of a future water polo standout.

“I was a pretty bad swimmer,” she said. “I had no real swim background. I’d swim in my neighbor’s pool. I could keep myself above water, but that was about it.”

What Feher possessed was athletic ability, intelligence and the attitude that whenever she does something, she tries to be the best.

Soon, she was playing goalie for her club water polo team and gaining an appreciation for what it takes to succeed.

“It’s important to have good leg strength,” she said. “When [shooters] pump fake a whole bunch of times, your legs get tired. You have to be able to get up high and to the corners [of the net]. You have to have quickness in your legs and endurance.”

In 2001, Feher helped the U.S. junior national team win a gold medal at the Junior World Championships in Perth, Australia, and was selected the goalie on the all-world team.

She has a 4.0 grade-point average, scored 1,290 on the SAT and has accepted a scholarship to UCLA.

“I guess this is what I do and what I’ll do for a while,” she said.

Feher is still getting used to her reputation as a goalie extraordinaire.

“It’s pretty crazy,” she said. “It’s hard to even imagine. I don’t know what to think of it. I try to look at what other goalies are doing well and what my weaknesses are.”

Never resting on accomplishments is part of Feher’s mental makeup. She’s always seeking ways to improve and take on new challenges.

“I admire people that are good in my sport and admire good students, and I hang around people better than me,” she said.

Baker, for one, sees Feher as a critical player for the U.S. women’s water polo team in the years to come.

“A goalie’s first priority and responsibility is to block shots and that’s what she does best,” he said. “What makes Emily unique is she’s a great passer. You get the whole package.”

This summer, she’ll be representing the United States at the Junior World Championships in Calgary, Canada. By then, she’ll be a high school graduate and perhaps a four-time section champion.

Looking back, Feher marvels at how her life has changed since taking up water polo.

“I’ve changed so much as a person and player,” she said. “My character has changed. You go through so much and work so hard for something together as a group. To win as a team changes you and makes you thankful for the life you have and humbles you to be part of that.”

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com