Pirates advance to OEC finals before falling to Rustlers
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The Orange Coast College men's water polo team advanced to the championship contest of the Orange Empire Conference men's water polo championships this past weekend, but came up short against Golden West in the title matchup on Saturday.
The Pirates (16-11) earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and received a first-round bye. They played Fullerton in the semifinals and topped the Hornets, 10-5. Coast outscored the Hornets, 6-2, in the middle periods to pull away for the win. Connor Farris, Garret Glore and Jake Davis each had two goals for OCC, while Scott Brush, Trent Hayes, Dillon Avila and Dineth Francis each added one goal.
The win advanced Coast into the OEC championship against Golden West and, despite a solid effort from the Pirates, it was the Rustlers who claimed their 26th consecutive conference title with an 18-8 win.
GWC opened with five first-period goals and carried the lead throughout the match. Avila, Davis and Hayes each had two goals for Coast, while Francis and Derrick D'Amico each had one goal for the Pirates.
Coast will advance to the Southern California Regional Tournament, which begins on Thursday at Citrus College. The Pirates are the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 Citrus on Friday, beginning at 3:15 p.m.
