Statement Day

Cypress, CA - When the dust settled on the second day of the 2016 Battle at the Beach Tournament, the toughest CCCAA Women's Water Polo Tournament in the State, the Citrus College Women's Water Polo team had a statement day on their hands. The Owls opened up with a 6-4 slugfest of a victory over local rival Mt. San Antonio College before wrapping up the weekend with a revenge win over conference rival Ventura College 10-7 that helped the Owls to a 9th Place finish in the tournament, their best ever finish.

In the opener, the Owls showed some tenacity in the water, rallying from a 2-0 deficit and after being held scoreless in the first nearly 14 minutes of action. Citrus wouldn't score their first goal until freshman Chloe Barrocas broke the drought on a fast-break with 2:11 left in the second to make it 1-2. 1:11 later, freshman Alyssa Gonzalez took a pass from fellow frosh Johana Chazaro Cortes and put it in the back of the net to tie the game up at two goals each.

 The Mounties would briefly regain the lead with 28 seconds left, but the Owls would draw an exclusion in the closing seconds and get a score by freshman Lindsay Powell, with Chazaro Coates again assisting, to knot the score at three heading into halftime. Out of the break, Citrus put the clamps on the Mountie offense, not allowing a score until the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, while they themselves took a 5-3 lead after scores by Powell and freshman Hunter Olivier. 

Mt. SAC would pull back to within one with a score at 5:52 in the fourth quarter, but Chazaro Coates iced the game with 2:37 to go, and the Owls defense held in the 6-4 win. Powell would be the only Owl with more than one goal, while Barrocas finished with four steals and four exclusions drawn. Sophomore goalie Delaney Moller was also strong in the win, stopping nine of the 13 shots that ended up on frame and stealing another. 

After the victory over the Mounties, Citrus drew the Pirates of Ventura in their final game of the weekend, a team they had lost to 13-11 in conference play at the beginning of the month. The Owls would turn the tables nearly immediately using scores by Olivier and Barrocas to jump out to a 2-0 advantage. Ventura would score twice before the end of the first, but the message was sent. 

Freshman Brooke Padilla would open up the scoring in the second quarter, scoring off a pass by freshman Megan Card with 6:45 left in the frame. Ventura would tie the game back up with 2:55 to go, but Olivier gave Citrus a 4-3 lead as the game entered halftime. In the third, Ventura would score first, tying the game back up at 4, but Citrus would move back in front after scores by Olivier and freshman Alyssa Gonzalez. 

As expected, Ventura wouldn't go away quietly scoring two more goals before the end of the third to send the game into the final eight minutes of competition with the score tied at six goals each. Citrus would land the first blow in the fourth, after an unassisted goal by Olivier. Ventura answered 42 seconds later, but the Owls closed out the game with three straight scores, one by Olivier, one by Gonzalez, and the last by Chazaro Cortes to give them the three goal advantage.

With the two wins, Citrus improves to 19-9 on the year. The Owls will close out the regular season on Wednesday when they travel to Santa Monica College at 12:30 PM and then LA Valley College at 3:30 PM.