Men's Water Polo Captures WSC Title

In exciting fashion, the VC men's water polo team captured the Western State Conference Championship Saturday at the Ventura Aquatic Center. Patrik Bötkös scored the game-winning goal with seven seconds remaining as the No. 3-seeded Pirates defeated top-seed Cuesta to claim the title. Bötkös and Evan Augusta each scored three times for VC (21-12, 4-2) to help secure the program's first conference title since 2009.

Daniel Vadas, Brayden Black and Boaz Biglin all found the inside of the cage twice in the victory.

The game was an intense nailbiter from the beginning as the difference in the score was one goal or less for a vast majority of the game. Black, Bötkös and Bo. Biglin each scored in the opening period as the Pirates and Cougars were tied 3-3 after eight minutes of play.

Black and Vadas gave VC leads of 4-3 and 5-4, respectively, but Cuesta matched Ventura goal-for-goal and the game was knotted up at 5-5 at intermission.

the teams again traded scores in the third quarter, with the Cougars taking the upper hand at the end of the stanza, leading 9-8.

Early in the fourth, Bötkös, Augusta and Thomas Shea scored consecutive goals to give the Pirates an 11-9 margin, leading to the exciting conclusion. Cuesta scored twice to tie the game before Augusta netted a score at the 3:39 mark to put Ventura back in front. The Cougars found the equalizer with 2:08 remaining before Bötkös' heroics at the end of the game.

The Pirates next await their playoff seeding, with the first round of the regionals scheduled for Thursday Nov. 13.