Senior standout Charlotte Raisin delivered a dominant two-way performance Saturday to propel San Marcos into the CIF-SS Open Division semifinals. The USC-bound attacker scored eight goals, added two assists and recorded seven steals in a 17-11 quarterfinal victory over Corona del Mar at Santa Barbara High.
With the victory, The Royals will now face top-ranked Mater Dei on Wednesday at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.
“She is playing in really special form right now with a lot of confidence and it has been pretty awesome to see her evolve into the leader in the pool and out of the pool,” said San Marcos girls’ water polo coach Chuckie Roth, who was coaching his final home game leading the program. “She is doing so much and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Raisin controlled the game on both ends of the pool, disrupting Corona del Mar’s offense with relentless defensive pressure and converting turnovers into transition scores. San Marcos finished with 10 steals, several of which led directly to goals. The senior, a veteran of USA Water Polo’s youth and junior national teams, has been instrumental throughout the postseason, including a ten-goal outing in a previous playoff win over Long Beach Wilson.
“The fact that we’ve beaten Orange Lutheran and Long Beach Wilson and now we’re in the semifinals is just awesome and a great way to end my senior year,” Raisin said. “I just think our team has improved so much and I am so proud of them.”
While Raisin led the charge, San Marcos relied on a balanced team effort. Defender Lily Brodofsky anchored a disciplined defensive unit, and Jade Pattison contributed four goals, serving as the team’s second-leading scorer. Goalkeeper Bethany King, a former field player who shifted to the cage two seasons ago, provided steady play in net.
“She is the most unselfish person that I’ve ever coached to see her sacrifice her field time and what she has done her whole life to see her team have success,that’s one of the special things about sports,” said Roth of King. “Bethany King has done a great job for this team.”
Corona del Mar opened with two early goals, but San Marcos responded with a surge that established control before halftime. Raisin sparked the rally with timely steals and efficient finishing, helping the Royals build a 9-4 lead at the break.
The momentum continued in the second half as San Marcos extended its advantage behind contributions from Sophie Yonker and Pattison, while Raisin capped her final home appearance with several highlight plays, including a steal and transition goal that capped the Royals scoring late in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve been playing the game for a really long time and obviously that helps,” Raisin said. “I would say I anticipate pretty well.”
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