ELAC water polo splits two in conference play in Week 6
PASADENA, Calif. — The East Los Angeles College water polo team earned its first victory of the season, a 5-0 forfeit win at Pasadena City College in South Coast Conference play.
Prior to the win, the Huskies put forward their strongest offensive output of the season in a 17-9 loss at El Camino College.
The Huskies are 1-5 in the conference. Pasadena falls to 0-6 while Long Beach remains in first place undefeated at 6-0.
Against Pasadena at the PCC Aquatic Center, PCC forfeited the game—an SCC ruling due to player injuries. It was Pasadena's second such straight loss.
At El Camino, the Warriors ended their 12-game losing streak with the high scoring win over the Huskies. ELAC opened the scoring with a goal by freshman Angelica Cruz thirty-five seconds into the game to quiet the home crowd. The Warriors scored the next two goals from Danielle Mora. The first goal (assist Sonni Garcia) tied it at 1-1 at the 6:10 mark and second (assist Ysabella Estrella) was with 5:23 left in the first period.
ELAC tied it twenty seconds later from a goal by freshman Julia Benitez. Benitez scored a second straight goal and the Huskies were down 4-3 with 3:29 left in the first. El Camino rattled of five straight goals, two in the first and three in the second periods. ELAC answered with two consecutive goals, the first from Angela Cruz with 2:35 left in the second, the latter from sophomore Vicky Zia-Lopez's (Keppel High School) blast thirty-nine seconds later. ELAC trailed 9-5 with 1:56 left in the period.
In the third, Benitez scored two goals (04:01 and at 03:32) and ELAC was down 10-7. In the fourth period Long Beach put the game out of reach with a 15-7 lead with 3:07 left in the game.
The Huskies added to fourth period goals, the first from sophomore Lizbeth Perez (Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet HS) and the other from Benitez with 02:09 left in the game.
Benitez led the Huskies with five goals. Cruz added two for ELAC. Mora led El Camino with a season high five goals scored including a net ball with fifteen seconds left in the game. Mora had a team-high four steals.
In other ELAC action, the Huskies lost to first place Long Beach City College 27-2 during Week 3 at the Vikings Aquatic Center.
ELAC led 1-0 with an opening powered goal by Cruz. Long Beach tallied 14-straight goals, 11 in the first quarter and three more in the second. ELAC added their second goal in the opening minutes in the third, from a quick burst by freshman Lorena Coronel.
The Huskies had 11 shots in the game, seven saved by freshman goalkeeper Cami Owens in the second half. Long Beach freshman Sabrina Juarez scored nine goals.
UP NEXT
ELAC closes out the regular season at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, Oct. 24 beginning at 3 p.m. The Huskies swept the Roadrunners last year, 19-12 in the Citrus Tournament, 14-13 in conference and 21-10 in the SCC Championships. The Huskies entire season is on the road due to ongoing construction in the ELAC Swim Stadium.
Follow ELAC Athletics at http://athletics.elac.edu/landing/index and ELAC Huskies Athletics on Facebook.
story submitted by Tadzio Garcia