The @jserra_boys_water_polo team kicked off the Elite 8 Tournament in victorious fashion on Thursday, as the Lions defeated Trinity League rival Santa Margarita by a score of 15-8 in Pool A action at Harvard Westlake School in Studio City.
JSerra is now 10-1 overall on the season.
Junior Lars Knepper recorded a first quarter hat trick, while junior Ronan Keane, junior Christian Yonker, and sophomore Sasha Bjelica also tallied goals to stake JSerra to a 6-4 lead after the opening period.
Junior Andrew Schneider put the Lions ahead 7-4 at the 5:51 mark of the quarter with his first goal.
Santa Margarita trimmed JSerra’s lead to 7-6 with back-to-back goals in 37 seconds.
But a five-meter score by Bjelica and scoring strikes by junior Cal Ulicny, Knepper, and Keane in the final 4:51 of the half propelled JSerra to an 11-8 halftime lead.
In addition to his goal, Yonker provided a big spark with three earned exclusions and an earned five-meter.
The Lions defense put the clamps on the Eagles’ attack in the second half, not allowing Santa Margarita into the scoring column.
Schneider added his second goal, and Keane completed his hat trick, in the third period to extend JSerra’s advantage to 13-8.
Junior Dylan Park and senior Joe Wraith each added a scoring tally in the final period to complete the Lions’ tournament-opening triumph.
JSerra will take to the water for two Pool A games on Friday, as the Lions battle Corona del Mar at 10:50 a.m. and Newport Harbor at 1:30 p.m.
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