Swimming its way to victory, the men’s water polo team took the win against L.A. Trade Tech last Wednesday, Oct. 7.
In addition, several players were able to raise their stats.
Coach Corey Stanbury said the win was an expected one.
“They (L.A. Trade Tech) are not usually a very competitive team,” Stanbury said.
Stanbury added that this gave the team confidence, which showed at the game and in the final score.
Furthermore, Stanbury decided to mix up the usual game plan and send out the sophomore players first.
After the sophomores were able to establish the Warriors’ presence on the court, the usual starters were brought in. Points continued to rack up.
“Every player that played scored at least one goal,” Stanbury said.
The final score was a victorious 22-3.
But it wasn’t just the offense that won the game; goalkeepers like Jose Bahena and David Olson strengthened the defense with five saves each.
“We are working on blocking the goal and protecting it,” Stanbury said.
He added that even against a team the Warriors were confident about defeating, a strong defense is important.
The defense claimed a total of 16 saves during the game.
In addition, the Warriors worked on teamwork.
Player Reva Vahabnezhad, 18, said that Stanbury set a goal for the team of making at least 15 assists during the game against L.A. Trade Tech.
The team surpassed Stanbury’s goal with a total of 16 assists.
“Everyone shared the ball really well, and every assist was someone giving up the ball to another player to score,” Olson, 19, said.
The laid back game was a nice change of pace for the team, which has been competing in weekly conference games as well as weekend tournaments, Vahabnezhad said.
“We had fun because everyone got to play and it was more relaxed,” Vahabnezhad said.
The game provided the Warriors with more than just a win; it allowed the team to progress in multiple areas.
“We used this game to develop skills and give players more game experience,” Olson said.
Those skills will be necessary in upcoming games against more challenging teams.
EC next plays against Long Beach in a conference match Oct. 28 at the campus pool.