The Lindbergh High School water polo team’s goal this year has been to reach the final four of the district tournament, which is recognized as the state championships of water polo.

That’s something no Lindbergh team has yet accomplished, but the Flyers (19-4, 6-0 Suburban West) took one more step toward that goal Friday when they grab-bed a 5-3 win over Marquette to win the Suburban West Conference Tournament and get the No. 2 seed in the district tournament.

“We had gone 6-0 in conference play and the nice thing about the win (against Marquette) is that guarantees that will be a part of the district tournament,” Lindbergh head coach Tim Lombardo told the Call. “It was a real important win for us.”

The Flyers nailed down two goals in the first quarter en route to a 4-1 lead at halftime. But Lindbergh went scoreless in the third quarter as Marquette trimmed the Flyers’ lead to 4-2.

“Our first half was probably one of our best first halves of the year,” Lombardo said. “Our defense was just stellar and this definitely was a team defensive game as opposed to an offensive game. That really was the difference for us.”

Lindbergh’s Niko Filipi led all scorers with three goals and one assist, including the game-winning goal. The senior two-meter man currently has 76 goals and 53 assists this season.

“Niko has been there all year for us,” Lombardo said. “He can be dominating at that position and was strong both offensively and defensively all game long.”

Lindbergh’s Steve Nester also played a solid game and scored his 33rd goal of the season. He has 31 assists, which gives the senior guard 64 points this season.

“Steve’s one of those guys that’s solid throughout and continues to get that big goal when we need it,” Lombardo said. “You know that you’re going to get his best effort in every game.”

Lindbergh’s Teddy Key scored his 12th goal of the year. The junior driver also has 15 assists for 27 points.

The Flyers will have some time off be-fore their next match as they await the result of a play-in between Marquette (16-7, 4-2 Suburban West) and University City (14-4, 5-1) Saturday at the St. Peter’s RecPlex in the first round of the district tournament.