Villa Park Stays Close, but Foothill Wins Title

Villa Park desperately tried to break Foothill’s hold on the Century League boys’ water polo title Wednesday. And to give the Spartans credit, they almost did. But Matt McPherson’s late goal in the fourth quarter put an abrupt end to Villa Park’s hopes and gave the Knights a 4-3 victory and their sixth consecutive league title.

Before the game, there was anticipation that visiting Foothill would blow out Villa Park. After all, Foothill, ranked second in the county, had beaten Division I-powerhouse Long Beach Wilson last weekend in a Northern California tournament.

But No. 8 Villa Park played tough on defense and slowed down the game on offense to throw Foothill off its rhythm.

“It was a very physical game. And they played excellent defense,” Foothill Coach Jim Brumm said. “I expected a hard-fought game, and it was that.”

McPherson’s winning goal came after Brumm called a timeout when Foothill got the man advantage following a Villa Park player ejection. The senior driver scored the goal about a minute left in the game.

“They played it exactly the way I wanted them too,” Brumm said. “I’m really pleased with the way these guys were able to step it up when it was needed.”

Foothill finished the regular season 20-4, 5-0. Villa Park is 16-7, 4-1.