Commanding
Glendora, CA -- The Citrus College Men's Water Polo program opened up its home hosted 2014 Citrus College Water Polo Tournament in commanding fashion on Friday. The Owls won both of their matches big, defeating San Diego Miramar College 22-5 in the first game, before defeating Mt. San Antonio College 18-8 later in the afternoon.
In the opening contest, Citrus stormed out of the gates, taking a 5-1 lead after the first quarter. Citrus kept it going in the second, outscoring the Jets 8-2 in the second period to take a 13-3 lead into the break. The Owls' momentum kept rolling into the third, where they outscored Miramar 7-2, before wrapping up the fourth with a 2-0 advantage.
In the win, freshmen Jonathan Lotero and Justin Cruz each led the way with four goals apiece. Freshmen Jeremy Rocha and Pedro Cardenas each had three assists, while freshman goalie Drake Santos stopped six shots for Citrus.
Later in the day, Citrus continued its strong play against nearby rival Mt. SAC. The Owls jumped all over the Mounties in the first quarter leading 5-0 after the first eight minutes. Citrus kept it going into the second quarter where they pushed their lead to nine 11-2. In the third, the Owls more or less put the game away, going up 17-3. In the fourth, the Mounties outscored Citrus 5-1, but the Owls lead was too great for the Mounties to overcome.
Lotero again led the way for Citrus with four goals, a feat matched by sophomore Charles Ortega. Freshman Vincent Edwards passed out four assists, while Ortega added six steals. Santos was again strong in goal stopping 11 shots, while allowing just three scores.
With the two wins, Citrus improves to 4-1 on the year. The Owls will be back at again tomorrow morning when they face San Diego Mesa at 10:30 AM.
