Upset by 12th-seeded Cypress helps highlight first day of SoCal women's water polo regional
Recaps from Day 1
GAME 1 (Women)
Orange Coast 12, Fullerton 7 – The Pirates (15-14) used a strong middle two quarters to put away Orange Empire Conference rival, Fullerton (9-23) on Thursday to advance to the regional quarterfinals, where they will play top-seeded Long Beach, beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday. Brooke Baze and Hayden Clark led OCC with three goals, while Emma Willis and Elizabeth Liskey each had two goals and two assists. For the Hornets, Elyse Weske had two goals, while Moncerath Maldonado dished out three assists. In goal, OCC's Emily Jones had 12 saves, while FC's Brisela Robinson had seven.
GAME 2 (Women)
Cypress 13, Citrus 7 – A strong second half proved to the be the difference-maker for the victorious Chargers (13-11) as they advance to take on Saddleback at 10:15 a.m. on Friday in the regional quarterfinals. Jillian Van Gemert was tough to beat, leading Cypress with five goals, while Karly Lepel added three and Marilyn Rodriguez and Brooke Shiohama each tossed in two. For the Owls (15-16), Kori Cunningham and Marieona Reedy each had two goals to pace the offense.
Game 3 (Women)
Cuesta 11, Ventura 9 – The Cougars (20-12) picked up three goals each from Ryder Gangemi and Amelia Braun to upend the VC Pirates, who finish the season at 18-13. Hannah Kempf added a pair of goals for Cuesta while in goal, Donella Wood came up with eight saves to pick up the win. Ventura was led by AnnMarie Patterson with five goals and eight saves in goal from Ava Carey. With the win, the Cougars will take on No. 2 Riverside City College in the quarterfinals on Friday, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Game 4 (Women)
Miramar 11, Golden West 6 – The No. 6-seeded Jets (19-6) took care of business against the 11th-seeded Rustlers (16-11) and will face defending state champion, Santa Barbara City College in the quarterfinals on Friday, beginning at 12:45 p.m. Emma Roberson paced the Miramar offense with six goals, while Nalani Galindo added three. Jet goalie Rylie Hage anchored the defense with 10 saves. For the Rustlers, Allyssa DeMayo was their lone multi-goal scorer with two, while in goal, Nathalia Johnston stopped eight shots.
(Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast College Athletics)
