San Marcos girls water polo dropped its CIF-SS Open Division pool play game to top-seeded Mater Dei by a score of 16-8 on Saturday in Santa Ana.
The Royals, who are now 1-1 in pool play, will host Long Beach Wilson on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. at Santa Barbara High. If they win that game, they will host either JSerra or Corona Del Mar in the quarterfinals.
San Marcos fell behind 4-0 in the opening quarter, but cut the deficit down to 6-4 midway through the second.
However, Mater Dei regained control in the second half and pulled away for the victory.
Charlotte Raisin scored three goals for the Royals, while Shea Estabrook and Ella Grube each scored twice. Defensively, Bethany King tallied nine saves, including two on five-meter penalty shots.
“We had some breakthrough moments and some moments that broke us,” San Marcos head coach Chuckie Roth said. “We have improved a lot, however when you are playing the number one team in the country, small mistakes get exploited. I think tonight made us better and gave us new areas of growth.
“This is the best time of the year and excited for the girls to have this opportunity to play a big playoff game in town. This is rare however the girls have earned it.”