San Marcos boys water polo pulled out a dramatic 15-14 sudden-death overtime victory over San Juan Hills in the CIF-SS Div. 1 opener on Friday in San Juan Capistrano.
After the two sides found themselves knotted at 13-13 at the end of regulation, the game was sent into the first overtime.
The two sides exchanged one goal apiece in the first overtime period before they each went scoreless in the second, sending the game into a sudden-death overtime period.
San Marcos’ Christian Yonker won the opening sprint of the period, and the Royals quickly moved the ball to freshman Brandon Lee, who drew a penalty.
Will Stuart then stepped up to the line and buried the penalty shot to give San Marcos the playoff victory.
The Royals will now play host to Loyola in the quarterfinals next Thursday at 5 p.m. The venue is to be determined.
Stuart’s walk-off goal was the final in a strong offensive performance, as he scored a game-high six goals. Meanwhile Yonker found the back of the net four times.
Jake Magid tacked on a pair of goals, while Lee, Ryder Wilson and Jack Kramer each scored once. Wilson also dished out a team-high seven assists.
Defensively, Titus Fernandez ended the day with 11 saves and Stuart racked up four steals.