Golden West Men’s Water Polo Goes 4-0 at RCC Tournament

Golden West (16-0, 3-0) opened the tournament at Riverside City College Friday afternoon against Cuesta College (13-9, 3-0) with a dominating 13-3 victory

Golden West Men’s Water Polo Goes 4-0 at RCC Tournament
October 8, 2016
Box Score Box Score Box Score Box Score Box Score Box Score Box Score

Riverside, Calif. – Golden West (16-0, 3-0) opened the tournament at Riverside City College Friday afternoon against Cuesta College (13-9, 3-0) with a dominating 13-3 victory. The defense would shutout Cuesta in the first half of play as the offense was as balanced as it comes while netting seven goal with seven different players. Matheus Santos led the Rustlers with four goals followed by Peter Lovas with two goals scored. Golden West would go on to beat Cuesta 13-3.

The second match of the day featured a battle against Cerritos College (20-2, 4-0) that ultimately the Rustlers would win 14-11. Golden West took a 4-1 lead end the of the first quarter as James Smith netted two of goals. Cerritos didn't back down in the second quarter as they outscored the Rustlers 4-3 to cut the lead to 7-5 at halftime. Cerritos would tie the game midway through the third quarter at 7-7 but Smith's fourth goal of the game would give Golden West the lead at 8-7. Both teams would trade goals to finish the third quarter with the Rustlers in the lead 10-9. That's when Golden West's defense stepped it up and held Cerritos to two goals in the fourth to secure the 14-11 victory.

Saturday morning's game was against the always tough Diablo Valley (7-12, 2-2) water polo squad that held the Rustlers to their lowest scoring output on the season. Despite the tenacity of Diablo Valley, the boys in green and yellow pulled out the victory 10-7. The two teams were tied 2-2 after the first quarter but Golden West found a groove in the second scoring three unanswered goals to take a 5-2 lead at half. Diablo Valley would battle back in the third quarter to even the game at 6-6 heading into the fourth quarter. The Rustlers stayed poised and scored four goals in in the fourth to win 10-7.

The final game of the tournament matched Golden West against Palomar College (10-6, 4-0) as boys would continue their unbeaten streak and win 16-6. The first quarter saw a scoring frenzy as both teams would six goals apiece but for Palomar that would be the last of their scoring. The Rustler defense would shutout Palomar the rest of the game on their way to the 16-6 victory. Tom McJannett led the way for the Rustlers as he netted four goals, Peter Lovas netted three goals, and James Smith and Alejandro Sherratt would net two goals a piece.