Jailynn Robinson helps Orange Lutheran girls water polo team pull away from Foothill in CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoff opener

COSTA MESA – Different year, new playoff format, same exceptional effort from Jailynn Robinson.

Although Orange Lutheran begin its pursuit of a third consecutive CIF-Southern Section Open Division girls water polo title competing Thursday night in a pool-play match against Santa Ana Foothill instead of its usual single-elimination contest in the eight-team bracket, the UCLA-bound Robinson was just as impactful for the second-seeded Lancers as she was during last year’s run to the title.

Post-match interviews

Robinson, the reigning Open Division Player of the Year, scored in each quarter and seemingly every manner possible, finishing with five goals and a pair of steals to lift Orange Lutheran to a 14-4 victory at Orange Coast College.

It didn’t matter if it was at even strength or with a 6-on-5 advantage, facing double teams on defense or as part of the Orange Lutheran counterattack, and especially on a 5-meter penalty shot, the Knights were unable to slow down the momentum of Robinson.

Fellow seniors Kate Sloman, a USC commit, and UC Irvine-bound Michelle Urkov added two goals apiece for the Lancers (22-3), with sophomore Eve Webb and junior Allison Cohen each scoring twice as well.

Estelle Karaba, a junior, also contributed a goal, with San Diego State-bound senior goalkeeper Kyla Pranajaya recording eight saves and two assists for Orange Lutheran, which prevailed against Santa Ana Foothill (14-12) for the third time this season.

The Knights, who received goals from Natalia Barrot and Victoria Cordero to take their lone lead at 2-1 with 2:47 remaining in the first, rallied to tie the score at 3-3 just before the end of the quarter.

But Orange Lutheran responded with goals from Robinson, Sloman and Karaba in the second quarter and held Foothill scoreless for an 11-minute stretch, before Ashley Kwan converted on a 5-meter penalty shot to cut the deficit to 7-4 with 3:01 left in the third.

Cohen scored twice and Sloman contributed a goal before the end of the quarter, increasing the Lancers’ advantage to 10-4 entering the fourth.

Pranajaya added a pair of steals in the final quarter, in addition to denying the Knights’ offense again in the fourth, as Foothill endured a 10-minute scoreless drought to conclude the match.

Orange Lutheran, which also received three steals from freshman Kamryn Anderson, scored four times in the final four minutes, as Robinson and Webb each contributed a pair of goals.

The Lancers have won six consecutive matchups against Foothill since suffering a 10-9 setback to the Knights in the Southern California Division 1 regional final in 2023.

Orange Lutheran has also won seven straight postseason contests entering a Feb. 12 showdown against No. 6 Long Beach Wilson (19-8) – which endured a 12-8 pool-play loss Thursday against third-seeded Newport Harbor – at Santiago Canyon College.

The Lancers produced an 11-4 victory Jan. 10 against Long Beach Wilson at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions in the lone regular-season meeting between the programs.