Owls Go 4-2 on Opening Weekend

Huntington Beach & Glendora, CA – The Citrus College Men's Water Polo team opened up their 2016 season over the weekend participating in the Golden West College Mini-Tournament on Friday morning and then hosting their annual tournament on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The Owls got off to a rough start in a pair of losses at GWC, but rebounded with four straight wins back at home to go 4-2 on the weekend.

The weekend started against a deep and experienced squad in Cerritos College in Huntington Beach. The Owls kept it close in the first quarter, but with just two subs at their disposal Citrus got outswam by the Falcons over the next three quarters en route to a 22-10 loss. Freshman Jonathan Wong would lead the Owl effort in the game with four goals and a pair of assists. Sophomore James Adams added a pair of goals and three assists.

After a brief respite, the Owls got back in the water against Golden West. The Rustlers jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but the Owls clawed their way back into the game, trailing 6-3 after the first quarter and 9-6 at halftime. The Rustlers would pull away in the third with a 5-2 quarter, as the Owls eventually lost 17-9. Wong would add another four goals, while sophomore Daniel Velazquez scored four of his own.

After a drive back home, Citrus was quickly back in the pool at just before 3:00 PM when they took on Chaffey College. The Owls ran out to a 4-0 lead, but the Panthers used a 6-4 second quarter to go into the break, trailing Citrus by just two scores. The Owls would add a one goal lead after the third quarter, but Chaffey made it close down the stretch with Citrus escaping with a 15-14 victory. Wong and Velazquez each had four more goals a piece. Starting goalie Drake Santos played just the first quarter of the contest, but stopped all six shots he faced in that frame.

The Owls would close out the day an hour and forty-five minutes later when CalTech came calling. Once again, Citrus built up a big early lead, going up 12-1 at the break. The Beavers would storm back in the second half though, as the Owls scored just three goals in the final 16 minutes of game action hanging on for a 15-13 victory. Wong scored three more goals, while Velazquez finished with two goals, two assists, and two steals. Santos was once again fantastic in the cage, stopping seven of the eight shots he faced while playing the first two quarters.

Citrus would open up the second day against San Diego Miramar College, jumping out to a 6-2 lead after the first quarter. Citrus kept it going with a 3-2 second quarter to head into halftime up 9-4. The Owls offense would betray them in the third quarter scoring just one goal, but the Owls poured it on in the fourth quarter winning 17-8 after the horn sounded. Wong the scoring leader in the contest with seven goals. Velazquez added three, with sophomore Ian Castillo adding two more.

In the sixth and final game of the weekend, Citrus took on a tough Fullerton College team. The Owls scored five of the first six goals of the game and never looked back. Citrus outscored the Hornets in each of the four quarters winning 18-8. Won and Velazquez each accounted for five goals a piece. Adams handed out six assists, while Santos recorded 14 saves and five steals.

The Owls will be back in action again this coming Wednesday when they host NCAA DIII University of La Verne. The match is set for a 5:00 PM start.