Pirates split Day 1 of OEC Championships
RIVERSIDE -- The Orange Coast College women's water polo team went 1-1 during Day 1 of the 2011 Orange Empire Conference Women's Water Polo Championships, held at Riverside City College.
OCC, seeded fourth in the championships, opened the day with a 13-9 win over No. 5 Cypress College before falling to top-seeded Golden West College, 9-6.
In the opener against the Chargers (13-11), Coast pulled away in the third period by outscoring Cypress, 5-1, turning a 6-5 lead into a more comfortable 11-6 advantage.
Alyssa Katreeb led the Pirates (20-7) with four goals, while Erika Castello added three and Cherokee Stephens and Danielle Lopez each threw in two goals. Solo goals were provided by Samantha Rivas and Valerie Silva. Lopez also dished out two assists, while Katreeb and Rivas each added one.
In goal, Cailend Robbins notched 14 saves to earn the victory.
In the loss to the Rustlers (18-2), OCC hung tough with one of the top teams in the state but came up a little bit short.
Katreeb and Castello each had two goals for Coast, while Lopez and Kelly Logan added one goal apiece. Robbins notched 11 saves in the loss.
The loss puts the Pirates in Saturday's third-place game, where they will take on third-seeded Fullerton College, beginning at 12:45 p.m. Cypress will take on Santa Ana in the consolation championship (10:15 a.m.), while Riverside and GWC compete for the OEC title (3:15 p.m.).
