Women's Polo Captures Nailbiter Over Cuesta
The Pirates' women's water polo team came from behind and held on against Cuesta for a 10-9 Western State Conference victory Wednesday at the Ventura Aquatic Center. VC's big three of Kelsee Espitia, AnnMarie Patterson and Ella Montano each scored three goals while Ava Carey recorded eight saves in goal to preserve the triumph.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
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1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
Team Stats
The Pirates' women's water polo team came from behind and held on against Cuesta for a 10-9 Western State Conference victory Wednesday at the Ventura Aquatic Center. VC's big three of Kelsee Espitia, AnnMarie Patterson and Ella Montano each scored three goals while Ava Carey recorded eight saves in goal to preserve the triumph.
The visitors got off to a quick start scoring twice in the first three minutes of play. Espitia got the Pirates (10-5, 2-0) on the board with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter, and the Cougars scored one more time to hold a 3-1 advantage at the end of the period.
The teams' defenses took over early in the second stanza, and it took over five minutes for Cuesta to find the inside of the cage to extend its lead to 4-1. Montano quickly answered with a score on the next possession, and the Cougars responded in kind at the 2:21 mark for a 5-2 edge. Patterson and Espitia each found the inside of the cage before halftime and Ventura trailed 5-4 at intermission.
Cuesta came out swinging in the third period, netting a pair of goals to extend their advantage to 7-4 with 6:53 on the clock. Montano scored on the next trip down the pool to end the skid for the Pirates, and Milla Malesich scored a minute later. Patterson's goal midway through the quarter evened the score at 7-7 and Espitia gave Ventura an 8-7 edge with 3:04 left in the third. Montano scored in the final minute of the period fora 9-7 VC lead heading into the final quarter.
Patterson made it a 6-0 Pirate run in the first minute of the fourth quarter before Cuesta netted a pair of goals to pull to within 10-9 with 4:02 remaining. The Pirate defense held fast the rest of the way to post the victory.
Espitia, Mikela De Aguiar and JoJo Thayne all handed out two assists each and Montano had six steals defensively. Carey added five steals to her save total.
The Pirates will be at home on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12, hosting the annual Ventura Tournament. VC takes on Sierra and Fullerton on Friday before hosting Modesto and Pasadena Saturday.