Coming off a hard fought victory against L.A. Trade Tech on Oct. 1, the EC men’s water polo team rallied together and defeated Chaffey College 12-8 in their third home game of the season last Wednesday.
Chaffey College was overwhelmed by the strong EC defense, and the offense came together and was able to score 12 goals against Chaffey.
“We held them in check on defense all game and we were very excited about the end result,” coach Corey Stanbury said.
The Warrior defense clamped down, stealing the ball 21 times during the game and freshman goalie David Olson blocked 12 tough shots from some talented Chaffey scorers.
The strong play and awareness of the defense caused the Panther offense to rush, which created the opportunities for steals and blocked shots.
“Chaffey has a few scoring stars on offense and we were able to hold them down over the course of the game,” Stanbury said.
EC shutout Chaffey in the first quarter and went into halftime with a comfortable 7-2 lead.
The Warriors gave up three goals in the third quarter which closed the margin to 7-5, but EC rallied together and scored five goals in the final quarter which sealed the 12-8 victory.
“Our team defense was the key in our victory, and (Olson) was outstanding in the cage,” Stanbury said.
Offensively, the Warriors have made things work in the last few games, scoring 21 goals against L.A. Trade Tech and adding 12 more goals in their most recent victory over Chaffey.
“It was an exciting game, they had a lot of steals and a lot of goals,” EC student John Stewart said.
Alex Heck once again led the team with five goals and was joined by Daniel Bender who added four scores against the Panther defense.
Jeff Craver and Mike Gavola also helped out the offense, scoring three goals combined.
“We played a good offensive game and we were really clicking in transition,” Stanbury said.
The Warriors have a week off before their next game against Long Beach City College on Wednesday, and will have to prepare for a tough match.
The teams’ performance against Long Beach City College Wednesday and at the Saddleback Tournament in two weeks will determine if the Warriors season will continue.
“Our team doesn’t get ahead of ourselves; we just work hard and prepare one game at a time,” field player Artis Coleman said.
