East Los Angeles College water polo team freshman Amy Cervantes contemplates to attempt a pass or a goal in a 14-13 win versus Rio Hondo College. She scored six goals. (Photo by Tadzio Garcia)
East Los Angeles College water polo team freshman Amy Cervantes contemplates to attempt a pass or a goal in a 14-13 win versus Rio Hondo College. She scored six goals. (Photo by Tadzio Garcia)
Posted: Oct 18, 2017

ELAC splashes out a pair of wins over Rio Hondo

WHITTIER, CA — The Huskies water polo team defeated Rio Hondo College twice in the last five days, defeating the Roadrunners two times in one season for the first time in three years.

ELAC won 14-13 at the Rio Hondo Aquatic Center today in a key South Coast Conference game with the winner getting a higher seed in the SCC Championships at Mt. San Antonio College in two weeks.

ELAC bested the Roadrunners 18-12 at the Citrus College Tournament on Saturday.

In the one-point win today, ELAC came back from a 7-4 deficit after two quarters with a second half rally and outscored Rio Hondo, 10-6, with an outpour of goals. ELAC adjusted play from their previous two games of being outscored an average of 11-3 in the final two frames.

The Huskies scored first in the third quarter from freshman Allyson Jimenez’s (Montebello High School) spank into the net at the 6:34 mark.

ELAC found the net with a goal from freshman Amy Cervantes (Montebello HS) with 3:42 left in the third frame.

Twenty-five seconds later ELAC knotted the score at 7-all with a goal from Jimenez. ELAC had a 10-8 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The teams traded goals three times then Rio Hondo’s Sabrina Miller scored her fifth goal to trim ELAC’s lead to 13-12 with 01:26 remaining in the game.

Cervantes scored from a power play with 00:46 left in the game to the loud approval of the ELAC faithful. ELAC led 14-12.

Rio Hondo added a goal 15 seconds later then the Huskies held on for the big win against their SCC rivals.

Cervantes led the Huskies with a team-high six goals and four assists. Sophomore Sophia Gonzalez had a team-high six steals. ELAC freshmen goalkeepers accounted for five saves, Alejandra Gazpar (Maywood HS) with four and freshman Brenda Nava with one.

In the 18-12 win, the Huskies led 4-2 after the first quarter, 8-4 after two and 15-6 after three quarters.

Three Huskies each scored five goals—Cervantes, Gonzalez and Jimenez. Jimenez had a team-high five assists.

Freshman Elizabeth Melendrez (Mark Keppel HS) scored two goals and freshman Michelea Esparza (Alliance Morgan McKinzie HS) scored her second goal of the season.

Gonzalez had a team-high four steals. Freshman Caitlyn Woo (Mark Keppel HS) and sophomore Jessenia Barberena (Mark Keppel HS) each had three.

ELAC plays at Chaffey College to close out the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 25 in a game that will determine fourth place in the SCC standings. The winner could receive a No. 4-seeding in the SCC Championships, Nov. 2-4.

Follow ELAC Athletics at http://athletics.elac.edu/landing/index and ELAC Huskies Athletics on Facebook.

 

 

story submitted by Tadzio Garcia