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Posted: Sep 29, 2014

Just Shy

Freshman William Martinez scored nine goals, handed out nine assists, and swiped nine steals over the weekend at the South of the Border Tournament.
Freshman William Martinez scored nine goals, handed out nine assists, and swiped nine steals over the weekend at the South of the Border Tournament.
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San Diego, CA -- The Citrus College Men's Water Polo team continued their winning streak this past weekend at the South of the Border Tournament, but fell just shy of winning their third straight tournament. The Owls won their first three games, but suffered their first loss in their previous 13 games to close out the tournament.

Things got off to a rollicking start on Friday when they downed one of the weekend's hosts San Diego Mesa College 19-8. The Owls got four goals, four assists, and four steals from freshman William Martinez, and another four scores from freshman Jonathan Lotero for good measure. Freshman goalie Drake Santos continued his strong play between the pipes, stopping 11 shots, notching three steals, and helping out on two goals.

Later in the day, Citrus kept their momentum going outscoring Southwestern College 20-12. The Owls led comfortably 12-2 at the break and never looked back. Lotero scored three more times, as did sophomore Charles Ortega. Santos played just one quarter, stopping six of the seven shots he faced.

On Saturday, Citrus came out a little tight against Grossmont College, leading 6-5 at the break and 11-9 after three. The Owls finally put some distance between themselves and the Griffins in the fourth as they outscored Grossmont 6-1 en route to a 17-10 victory. Lotero handled the bulk of the scoring load, with seven scores. Santos had 14 blocks, and sophomore Eugene Lee converted three of his four shots on the day.

Things were closed out against Fullerton College, who aside from Golden West, had pushed the Owls the hardest this year. Citrus again came out sluggish, but this time could recover as the Hornets upset Citrus 11-9. Lotero scored three more goals, while Ortega added two. Martinez had four steals, and Santos 11 saves.

With the three wins and the loss, Citrus improves to 13-2 on the year. The Owls will finally get Western State Conference play underway when they take on Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo at 3:30 PM next Wednesday. Citrus is 0 for their last 13 against the Cougars, as they embark on what could be a WSC Championship preview.