Owls Drop Close One in OT

Glendora, CA -- The Citrus College Women's Water Polo team hosted Ventura College late Wednesday afternoon. The Owls came close to upsetting Ventura College, but came up empty handed losing 4-3 in overtime.

The two teams played to a scoreless tie in the first quarter. In the second, the Owls took the lead 1-0, but it was short lived as the Pirates went up 2-1 after the third quarter. Facing a big hole, the Owls temporarily took the lead 3-2 in the fourth, but gave up a goal with just over 1:20 left in the game. That's where it would stay at the end of regulation, forcing the contest to head into overtime.

In the first overtime period, neither team gave an inch as they headed to the second OT tied at three goals each. The second overtime played out like most of the first did, but Ventura got a game winner with 22 seconds to go. The Owls last second attempt at the goal came close, but ultimately fell short in the 4-3 loss.

In the loss, sophomores Kendra New and Lora Marquez-Salgado along with freshman Lauren Quintero all scored one goal each. Marquez-Salgado added an assist and a steal, while sophomore Mackenzie Shinall paced the Citrus defensive effort with a pair of steals. Last but not least was the effort in the cage by freshman Rose Takeuchi who had 20 blocks, stopping 83.3% of the shots she faced on the day.

With the loss, Citrus falls to 7-10 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Owls will get a chance to redeem themselves this weekend as they host eight other teams in their annual tournament. Citrus opens up the weekend on Friday at 8:00 AM, as they play El Camino College. Later in the afternoon, Citrus will take on San Diego Miramar at 3:00 PM.