Split for Owls in Home Openers

Glendora, CA (Men's Water Polo) -- The Citrus College Men's Water Polo team kicked off their 2012 tournament on Saturday afternoon. The pair of games was also the home opener for Citrus, two games that ended up in a win and a loss for the Owls.

Citrus got off on the right foot when they took on LA Trade Tech College in their tournament and home opener. The Owls jumped out to a 4-2 lead and stretched it to three points at the break as they had an 8-5 advantage.

Trade Tech would cut the lead to two points after the third quarter, but the Owls pulled away in the fourth with five goals to the Beavers' one in a 16-10 victory.

Freshman Robert Sanchez scored four goals on five attempts, and added an assist. Sophomore Ryan Batchelor scored five goals, and fellow soph Raul Castaneda added four more in the win. Freshman Andy Perez recorded 19 blocks in the contest, the fourth best effort in Citrus program history.

Things went a little tougher in the second contest when they took on Cerritos. The Falcons jumped out on the Owls 7-3 in the first, but the Owls cut into the lead in the second trailing 8-11 at the break. Cerritos clamped down in the second half though, as Citrus was held to just two goals in the final two quarters in a 21-10 loss.

Sanchez scored a team high three goals in the loss, while Castaneda matched that with three more. Freshman Colin Gordon also contributed with a pair of steals.

With the win and the loss, Citrus moves to 1-3 on the year. The Owls will be back in the pool tomorrow afternoon when they host Fullerton at 9:10 AM and then Palomar at 5:20 PM.