Pirates outlast Tigers in conference opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside (4-6, 1-1) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
|
Orange Coast (5-1, 1-0) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 15 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's water polo team used a strong second half of play to roll past visiting Riverside City College, 15-9, in the Orange Empire Conference opener for both teams on Wednesday at the OCC Swim Complex.
Locked in a 6-6 tie after the first half, Coast (5-1, 1-0 in OEC) ripped off five straight goals and never looked back against the Tigers (4-6, 0-1).
Five different OCC swimmers scored during that important third quarter, including Ryan Baumann, Nicholas Fichman, Tanner Sprague, Luke Rhone and Eduardo Wainberg. Wainberg had two assists during that span, while the trio of Baumann, Angel Rosado and Gabriele Simonti earned assists as well.
For the Tigers, Nobert Kovacs led the way with six goals, all in the first half, while Andrew Serrano added two goals and Ethan Saenz added a goal and four assists.
Rhone and Fichman each had four goals for the Pirates, while Wainberg tossed in three goals to go along with a team-best five assists.
In goal, Connor Halloran had six saves through the first three quarters, before Steven Magdaleno closed things off with three saves in the fourth.
The Pirates will head up to Cerritos College for a mini tournament on Friday. OCC's next home match will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 10 against Saddleback, beginning at 4 p.m.
