After a disappointing season opener, the El Camino College women’s water polo team bounced back in their second game with an 11-6 win.
The Wednesday, Sept. 17 home game saw the Warriors take on their first conference match of the 2025-2026 season against the East L.A. College Huskies.
“We were more organized,” Warriors goalie Carleigh Clark said. “We had all of the jitters out because we were all nervous. So now we know what to do with our second game.”
The Warriors opened the first period with three goals, one of which was an unassisted shot by attacker Olivia Mozian.
Mozian would go on to be the most valuable player of the game for the Warriors by landing four of their 11 goals.
The Warriors’ four-goal streak in the second period was broken by Huskies utility Magaly Melgar, whose unassisted shot was successfully repeated by her fellow players, utility Emma Dear and attacker Dali Cardenas.
Fresh off their match against Pasadena City College in the LA Valley Tournament, Huskies coach Kimberly Romero hoped to see her team, whose roster includes new players just learning the sport of water polo, grow and learn from past mistakes.
“Since we were able to make mistakes from the last game, we’ll be able to see if we improve on those because they were quick fixes,” Romero said. “We’ll see if we can make sure we get better at those mistakes.”
The third quarter saw the Warriors and the Huskies pick up the pace by landing goal after goal in quick succession. By the time the eight-minute period was over, the Warriors were leading 10-5.
Goalies Carleigh Clark of the Warriors and Brisa Ayala of the Huskies put up a strong defense by warding off the barrage of shots that made their way.
In one instance, a shot made by the Huskies saw the ball bounce up and down the goal’s rail several times before landing in the water.
“With our next game, we definitely want a little more confidence,” Warriors attacker Ashlie Cabrera said. “Especially not to underestimate because the goalie today was really good and we really didn’t expect that.”
Because it was their first conference game of the season, Warriors coach Shelby Haroldson said it was too early to determine where the Warrior women’s water polo team currently ranks. “There’s a lot more of the season left, so it’s hard to tell,” she said.
“We have a conference championship tournament at the end of the season,” Haroldson said. “How we do during our regular season determines where we’re seated for that term.”
The Warriors women’s water polo team will have a four-game showdown this weekend as they embark on the San Diego Miramar Mini Tournament against Southwestern and Palomar College on Friday, Sept. 19.
This will be followed by the Jaguar Mini Tournament, where they will have back-to-back games against San Diego’s own Mesa and Miramar colleges on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Afterwards, the Warriors will travel to Pasadena City College for their second conference game Wednesday, Sept. 24.
