With just a few minutes left in game, the men’s water polo team fought hard to break the tie late in overtime, but fell short 11-10, thanks to an amazing individual effort by one of Citrus College’s best shooters.
Last weekend, the Warriors played in the annual Saddleback College tournament, but were edged out in the final minutes of almost every game they played, losing three out of four games.
“We played really well down there, but our opponents have some very good programs and they put out their best effort,” coach Corey Stanbury said.
The Warriors faced off against Citrus College, Palomar College, San Diego Mesa College, and Southwestern College and played four very competitive games. However, too many fouls defensively and missed opportunities offensively gave their opponents the chances they needed to earn the victory.
“Every game we played in we were right in it, but we lost some very close games, especially against Citrus and Palomar,” field player Artis Coleman said
Despite these setbacks, the Warrior defensive unit and great plays by goalie David Olson kept EC close throughout the entire game.
Falling back and suddenly crashing in on defense helped the Warriors confuse their opponents’ offense and earn a few shut out quarters during the Saddleback tournament
“(Olson) was dominant over the weekend and had some excellent individual blocks,” Coleman said.
Olson has been steadily improving as the season has progressed, doubling his average saves per game average over the weekend at the Saddleback tournament.
Throughout most of the Citrus game, both teams seemed to be exchanging goals with each other, forcing the game into a tie going into overtime.
“We fought hard down the stretch, but were not able to put shots away when we had scoring opportunities on offense,” Stanbury said.
In the final minutes of overtime, an amazing effort and shot by Citrus’ top scorer gave them the go ahead goal and victory over the Warriors.
Consistency on offense and defense helped EC stay close in a few games, but none more than during their match against Palomar.
Although EC lost 12-9, it was much more competitive throughout the entire match.
“Our team played well together, but our team captain, Alex Heck, really backed us up all game,” Danny Bender said
With just two minutes to go, the Warriors worked hard and reduced the deficit to just one goal, but made too many fouls late in the game allowing their opponents to have extra man advantages and opportunities to score.
By the end of the Citrus game, EC had lost but played well together during the entire game.
“I couldn’t believe it, but (Bender) played much better and had a lot of assists at the Saddleback tournament,” Erica Shaw, a member of the women’s water polo team, said.
