Pirates battle Rustlers to the end
COSTA MESA -- In a matchup between two of the top teams in Southern California, the Orange Coast College men's water polo team fell to visiting Golden West, 13-10, on Wednesday in a hard-fought Orange Empire Conference matchup.
The fifth-ranked Pirates (15-3, 3-1 OEC) battled the top-ranked Rustlers (15-1, 4-0) all the way to the final whistle.
Coast fell behind 3-0 in the match's opening three minutes before the Pirates fought back with three straight goals of its own. A pair of tallies by Tony Morelli and a 6-on-5 goal by Charles Howarth brought the OCC-heavy crowd to its feet with 2:18 left in the opening quarter.
But the Rustlers, who posted a pair of down-to-the-wire wins against the top two teams in Northern California last week (West Valley and Diablo Valley), jumped back out in front and led 5-3 after the first quarter.
In a matchup that featured, two ejections, 16 man-advantages and a pair of 5-meter penalty shots, both teams traded goals in the second quarter as Travis Hone and Howarth highlighted OCC's offense as the Pirates trailed 7-5 at the half.
The turning point in the match came in the third quarter when Golden West pulled away with four straight goals, turning an 8-6 lead into a more comfortable 12-6 advantage.
It remained a six-goal lead until late in the fourth quarter, when OCC closed things out with three straight goals to make it 13-10. Morelli and Howarth finished with three goals each to lead the Pirates, while Scott Brush added a pair.
For the Rustlers, Robert Schatz led the way with three goals, while Austin Ringheim and Laszlo Nagy each added two.
The Pirates will return to action this weekend at the Golden West College Tournament.
