Citrus College Men’s Water Polo defeated teams from Fullerton College and Chaffey College on the second day of the Citrus Invitational.
The Owls cruised to a 10-6 win in their first game. In the second, the home team emerged from a tight contest with Chaffey, winning 14-11.
After several penalties and ejections on the first day of the tournament, head coach Erick Gonzalez said his team’s defense was “a lot better.”
“We struggled in the first game yesterday,” Gonzalez said. “I thought I saw improvements with everyone on defense.”
In the second game, Chaffey gained an early 3-1 lead but Citrus cut it to one point.
At the end of the first quarter, Chaffey led 5-4. In the next quarter, the Owls were ahead 6-5 after two goals from Keith Green. Green’s scores gave Citrus a 7-5 lead by halftime.
The Owls scored four goals in the third quarter, going up 11-6. By the finish, Chaffey closed the point gap, but their deficit was too large.
Citrus held back a strong fourth quarter effort from Chaffey after the lead was cut to 13-11 with a little over a minute left. A late goal from Keith Green game cemented the win for the Owls.
With three games under their belts, the Owls coach said he is still deciding which roles to fill.
“For a lot of these guys it is their first time playing with each other,” Gonzalez said. “They’re figuring out how to gel. I think they found themselves in the second half.”
Gonzalez said he wants his team to “continue to get better at defense” and “improve their game knowledge” during these tournaments.
The Owls are slated to play four more games at the 45th annual Mt. San Antonio College Men’s Water Polo Tournament on Sept.14.
