San Bernardino girls water polo team routs Edgewood to win Division 5 section title

WALNUT — The San Bernardino boys water polo program won a CIF Southern Section championship back on Nov. 16, 2024.

That victory ended a section title drought of 31 years for the school, and it also provided inspiration for another team on campus.

“We believed it was our turn now,” San Bernardino senior girls water polo star Patricia Aguilar said. “We had a prophecy to fulfill.”

Aguilar scored a match-high six goals — five of them coming on penalty shots from the 5-meter spot — as the Cardinals cruised to a 13-3 win over Edgewood in the Division 5 championship match early Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College Aquatics Center.

The Cardinals joined the 1981 basketball squad as the only San Bernardino High girls teams to claim a section championship.

“These are very special to me,” said Cardinals coach Jason Mendoza, who graduated from San Bernardino High back in 2018. “We have a wonderful, supportive community in San Bernardino, and I’m just grateful that I’ve had to opportunity to help provide this for our school and city. The first one was great because I played here, and I’m glad our girls experienced that same feeling,”

Edgewood beat San Bernardino 15-8 in November, but the Cardinals were missing multiple players because of a school field trip.

Nerves and turnovers plagued both teams in the opening minutes of Saturday morning’s match, but San Bernardino got on the board when Marlen Lopez lobbed a shot over Edgewood goalkeeper Elliana McKey with 2:44 remaining in the opening quarter. Edgewood answered on the next possession when Arisbeth Rangel scored after collecting a rebound from her missed penalty.

Edgewood (21-7) earned the first penalty shot of the match, but San Bernardino’s movement in the water became a problem for the Lions during the course of the match. Edgewood allowed 16 power plays or penalty shots while only earning four of its own.

“It was a little unexpected because some of the reports we got (about the match) seemed to favor us,” Lions coach Jacqueline Sanchez said. “That wasn’t the case, but those things happen. Give credit to San Bernardino, they really did their homework.”

Mendoza was genuinely shocked when informed about that final count of exclusions and penalties.

“We studied a lot film these past few days and worked hard to come up with a plan,” Mendoza said. “The girls really executed it. We wanted to stay in constant motion and make them work. And we fouled of some their essential players early in the match.”

San Bernardino (20-6) had a two-goal advantage after the opening period. That advantage swelled to  8-2 at the halftime break. Aguilar hit the bar on her first penalty shot but successfully converted her final five attempts, including three in the second period.

“Those penalties are important,” Aguilar said. “Sure, they have you on the edge of your seat, but those also allow the team to get a little rest and get refocused. … I did a good job visualizing my shots before taking them. I stayed positive and manifested them.”

Edgewood had a positive start to the second half, as Sophia Portillo Diaz barred in a shot from 7 meters away to give the Lions some momentum. The would be their final goal, however, as the Lions went scoreless for the final 12 minutes and 20 seconds.

San Bernardino sophomore goalie Savannah Martinez played a big role in that drought, as she finished the match with 16 saves.

“We wanted to crash down on the middle of the pool and stop anyone from driving in,” Martinez said of the defensive game plan.

San Bernardino got the lead to double figures, just the eighth time a Southern Section girls water polo championship match has been decided by 10 goals or more. The team made the celebratory leap into the pool, and sang “All Hail to Thee,” the school’s alma mater, with the few hundred faithful supporters up in the bleachers.

“That is part of our routine,” Mendoza said about the singing of the alma mater. “We are constantly trying to instill all of that pride and spirit into our students. They should be proud of where they come from, and we are the namesake school of our city.”

Hefziba Arana and Amisadai Arana scored two goals apiece for San Bernardino, which will advance to the CIF regional playoffs.

Despite the outcome of Saturday’s match, Sanchez said her players have plenty to be proud of for what they accomplished this season. They are the first team to advance to a section championship match since the school reopened in 2010.

“We started our program back in 2014, and it keeps growing and improving every year,” Sanchez said. “Making it this far in the playoffs is only get more people interested in playing water polo at Edgewood.”