Owls Rally on Day Two

Riverside, CA – After a dissapointing 0-2 start to the 2016 Riverside Tournament, the Citrus College Women's Water Polo team got back on the right track on Saturday when they won both of their scheduled games. The Owls started the day off with a big 11-7 victory over perennial power Long Beach City College, before closing out the weekend with a solid 10-5 win over WSC rival Allan Hancock College.

In the opener against the Vikings Citrus started out strong, scoring two of the game's first three goals, one from sophomore Gabriella Galbraith and the other by freshman Alyssa Gonzalez, settling into a 2-1 lead after the first quarter. In the second, Long Beach would return the favor and tie the game up at four goals a piece as the contest headed into halftime.

In the third, the two teams would be tied up at 6-6, until freshman Hunter Olivier and Johana Chazaro Cortes broke the game up with a pair of scores in the final 2:20 of the quarter to put Citrus up 8-6 headed into the final frame. In the fourth Citrus closed it out, holding the Vikings to a single score, while getting two goals from freshman Brooke Padilla and another from Chloe Barrocas to secure the four goal victory.

In the win, Olivier led all Owl goal scorers with three strikes. Barrocas, Padilla, and Gonzalez each added two, while Chazaro Cortes had a team high four steals. Sophomore goalie Delaney Moller rounded out the numbers with nine saves on the game.

In the second game, the two teams would each trade a pair of goals in the opening minutes, until Citrus jumped out in front 4-2 thanks to goals by Barrocas and Chazaro Cortes. The two teams each scored just a single goal in the second, but the Owls added to their lead in the third thanks in large part to two more scores by Barrocas and a goal by Padilla that made it 8-4.

Citrus would put the game away for good in the fourth, when Barrocas scored two more goals in the first two minutes of the period, putting the Owls at their final total of 10 goals in the contest. Barrocas led all scorers with six goals in the win. Olivier added three assists, while Moller stopped six more shots before getting a rest in the final quarter.

With the two wins, Citrus improves to 5-3 on the year. The Owls start Western State Conference play later this week when they take on two-time defending champ Santa Barbara City College on Wednesday the 21st. The game is set for a 5:20 PM start at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara.