Pirates Split Pair in the Pool at Saddleback

The VC women's water polo team traveled to Mission Viejo Friday to play in the Saddleback Invitational, splitting a pair of games. The Pirates (2-1) easily defeated Chaffey 14-2 before falling to the hosts 11-10 despite their best effort of the young season. Kendal Santos scored six goals in the two contests with five assists and five steals to lead the way while Daphne Neilan and Jessica Garcia each netted five scores.

Ventura 14, Chaffey 3

In the opener, VC made easy work of the Panthers, opening up a 3-0 lead after the first quarter and posting an 8-0 margin at halftime. Santos had three goals, three assists and two steals in the balanced attack and Gabrielle MacNeill netted three scores with two dimes and four thefts. Garcia also found the cage three times with one helper and two steals defensively. Caitlyn Hilgenberg scored twice and Emily Baughn recorded four steals with two assists and a goal. Neilan grabbed three steals on defense with an assist and a score on the other end of the pool and Cassidy Yanca also scored with three steals. Kiana Casey and Ahna Davis split time guarding the cage with two and three saves, respectively.

Ventura 10, Saddleback 11

The Pirates saved their best for last Friday, despite the 11-10 setback against the Bobcats.

After falling behind early, goals by Neilan and Santos gave Ventura the 2-1 edge with 1:50 remaining in the opening period. Neilan then answered a Saddleback score with three seconds on the clock and VC led 3-2 at the quarter break. Neilan scored her third goal of the game a minute into the second period, and Garcia followed with a score on the next possession and Ventura moved ahead 5-2. The teams traded goals for the remainder of the half as the Pirates held a 7-5 advantage at intermission.

Saddleback came out strong in the third quarter, netting three straight scores to retake the lead before Santos scored in the final minute of the stanza to tie the game at 8-8. Kendall Ribbers gave the Pirates a 9-8 edge with 7:36 remaining in the game before the Bobcats returned the favor, then took a 10-9 lead  at the 3:42 mark. Neilan scored with 1:01 on the clock to knot the count once again before the Bobcats managed a score on the next possession to set the final margin.

Neilan led the way with four goals in the game with two steals and one assist and Santos totaled three goals three steals and two assists. Garcia scored twice in the game while Baughn handed out four dimes with a steal. Davis totaled five saves in the cage while Casey turned back three Bobcat shots.

Ventura next heads to the Bay Area for the West Valley Invitational in Saratoga Sept. 16 and 17.