Santa Margarita Pulls Off Upset

Santa Margarita has been there before, and that inspired the Eagles to make a return.

Santa Margarita upset second-seeded Newport Harbor, 8-6, in a Southern Section Division I girls’ water polo semifinal Wednesday afternoon at Corona del Mar High, advancing to its fourth consecutive championship game.

For the third consecutive season, the Eagles will play top-seeded Santa Ana Foothill in the championship game Saturday night at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

It’s a rematch the third-seeded Eagles have been planning since Foothill shut out Santa Margarita, 8-0, in last season’s final.

“The seniors wanted this so bad,” said USC-bound driver Erika Figge, who scored six goals to lead the Eagles. “Every spare minute was sacrificed to make this work.”

Even though Santa Margarita had lost all three meetings against Newport Harbor this season, the Eagles came out with more energy and took a 3-0 lead on Figge’s second goal 4 1/2 minutes into the game.

“We had a serious adrenaline rush before the game,” Figge said.

The Sailors twice closed to within a goal in the first half, but Figge scored on a penalty shot late in the second quarter and then scored with a man advantage on the first possession of the second half to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead.

Villa Park 8, Laguna Beach 6 -- Kathryn Sullivan scored three goals, her final tally giving Villa Park a two-goal lead with 1:54 remaining in the Division II semifinal at Newport Harbor High, and the Spartans advanced to their first section championship in girls’ water polo.

The third-seeded Spartans, who will play top-seeded Corona del Mar in the championship game Saturday afternoon at Belmont Plaza, twice built three-goal leads, but Laguna Beach cut the lead to 7-6 on a goal by Addison Doud with 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After Laguna Beach’s Elizabeth Rooklidge was ejected a minute later, Sullivan scored to put Villa Park ahead, 8-6.