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MISSION VIEJO — San Clemente’s girls water polo team faced massive challenges, on multiple levels, entering the season.

There was a new coach. Only three returning starters. Covid concerns. Challenging nonleague games.

The Tritons could have retreated but as they showed Wednesday night, they’re fighters.

San Clemente rallied from a three-goal deficit at intermission to hold off young but talented Dos Pueblos 12-10 in a CIF-SS Division 1 first round match at Capistrano Valley.

Under first-year coach coach Ikaika Aki, San Clemente erased a 7-4 deficit at halftime and scored the final two goals after the Chargers tied the score 10-10.

Freshman Phoebe DeMoss scored the go-ahead goal on a near-side skip shot with 2:02 left in the fourth period to cap a counterattack. And four-year varsity member Savannah Batchelor applied the final touches with a steal with about minute left and a penalty shot seconds later. Junior Helene MacBeth drew the penalty on the counterattack sparked by the steal.

San Clemente (17-5), champion of the South Coast League, will play at top-seeded Agoura in the quarterfinals Saturday.

“It’s really cool that we’ve been able to come this far,” said Batchelor, who scored four goals in a strong collaboration with fellow senior Nieve Courtney (five goals). “Everyone has been able to step up so much and learn under a new coach.”

Aki replaced longtime boys and girls coach Logan Powell, who left for NAIA Ottawa University in Arizona.

Aki also led the Tritons’ boys to a share of the South Coast title in the fall.

On Wednesday, the challenge was to slow Dos Pueblos junior Emma Gilbert, who scored six of her seven goals in the first half.

The Tritons defense dropped extra coverage on Gilbert in the second half, holding her to one goal. Aki also adjusted his offense to attack more at 2 meters with multiple players.

San Clemente scored the first four goals of the third period all off its presence at center. Junior Ruby Hawbecker sparked the surge by drawing an exclusion and feeding Batchelor for the power-play strike.

The Indiana-bound Batchelor, the Cal-bound Courtney, MacBeth and Hawbecker each finished with three steals to lead the defense. Junior goalie Savannah Punak added three of her four saves in the fourth against the Chargers (13-14).

The Tritons’ season received a major boost with the arrival of Courtney, a transfer from Utah. She spent her junior year training with Olympians Tony Azevedo and Maggie Steffens with the 6-8 Academy in Fountain Valley.

“All of them made me love the sport more,” Courtney said of academy. “They get you hard. Those are hard practices.”

On Wednesday night, it was San Clemente turn to be tough.

Dos Pueblos also showed grit. The Tritons beat Dos Pueblos 15-11 at the recent Irvine SoCal Championships but the Chargers were more competitive Wednesday.

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