Pirates show some stuff in loss to L.A. Valley
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LA Valley (,) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
|
Orange Coast (,) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
CERRITOS -- The Orange Coast College men's water polo had a top-tier matchup at the Cerritos College Tournament this past weekend and in spite of a 10-8 loss to L.A. Valley, the Pirates showed they are a team that must be recognized come postseason time.
The Monarchs (11-2), a team ranked No. 3 in the state, needed every ounce of talent and experience against an up-and-coming Pirates team that lead for most of the first half and entered the fourth period tied at 8.
But the Monarchs took advantage of some opportunistic rebounds and cashed them into late goals to pull off the win against the Pirates (6-2), a team that could see L.A. Valley again come playoff time.
Gabriele Simonti had three goals for the Pirates, while Eduardo Wainberg added a pair of goals. Solo tallies were turned in by Nicholas Freeman, Luke Rhone and Ryan Baumann.
In goal, Connor Halloran notched 13 saves against a powerful Monarch offense and his strong play kept the Pirates in the match right to the very end.
Later in the Cerritos Tournament, Coast returned to the pool and took on Palomar, where the Pirates topped the Comets, 12-9.
Freeman led the way with four goals, while Simonti added three and Baumann threw in two. In goal, Steven Magdaleno showed the depth of the Pirate netminders with a solid nine-save performance.
Coast will return to action on Friday at the Riverside City College Tournament before returning to the OCC Pool to host Saddleback on Wednesday, Oct. 10, beginning at 4 p.m.
