No. 1 Rustlers Prepare for OEC Championship Competition

Huntington Beach, Calif. - Golden West men's water polo (23-3, 5-0 OEC) will start up Orange Empire Conference Championship competitions on Thursday, November 2nd. 

With a 16-11 win over Occidental and 12-6 victory against Pomona Pitzer, Golden West has wrapped up their 2023 regular season schedule. The team is now set to travel to Saddleback College which will be the host venue for the conference championship tournament over Nov. 2-4. The Rustlers dominated the regular season as the team went 23-3 in their 26 appearances. In their five OEC matchups, Golden West went unbeaten and was in control. Back in September, the Rustlers traveled to Riverside and outscored the Tigers, 18-4. The team would go on to flex their strengths as they shutout Fullerton in their first home game, 21-0. 

In October, Golden West defeated Cypress 18-5 and Orange Coast 11-6. For the first time in OEC games, the Rustlers were heavily challenged by Saddleback. The No. 2 Bobcats kept it close with the No. 1 program in the state but fell to Golden West, 8-6. A week after their final conference matchup against Saddleback, a similar scenario would occur. At the GWC Tournament in a non-conference matchup, the Rustlers narrowly beat the Bobcats, 8-7. The team's only three losses came from Long Beach State, USC, and the Mexican National Team. Golden West led the Orange Empire Conference in goals with 459, steals with 387 and goals per game with 15.83. 

NEXT UP: The Rustlers will travel to Saddleback College for the Orange Empire Conference Championship on Thursday, November 2nd. The team's first game will be at 1pm with their opponent to be named at a later time.