By Javier Cabrera / Editor in Chief

Hardwood (Allison Perez / Photo Editor)
By Javier Cabrera / Editor in Chief
Without warning the Riverside City College women’s water polo team defeated Golden West College, 9-4, Nov. 12 to win the Southern California championship title.
Seconds into the match Riverside scored its first goal and after that the team never looked back.
After the first quarter the Tigers had an 3-0 lead and Golden West College never had a chance to get the score closer.
Brooke Koralewski scored five goals for RCC in the regional finals match, including three of RCC’s first six goals in the match.
“After those three goals we knew we were better,” she said. “After (Golden West) scored, we just kept on shooting so they never really had a chance to come back and get momentum.
To go along with Koralewski’s strong offensive performance, RCC had its goalkeeper Andrea Antoniseen denying Golden West any opportunity to sneak one into the net.
Antonissen had 17 saves as the defense helped her keep Golden West searching for ways to get the ball in front of the goal to have a clean look at scoring.
“(Our) No. 1 priority is to not let them score and that’s what let our defense play really good and our offense as well,” she said.
Earlier in the day RCC faced off with the No. 4 team in the south, Long Beach City College, where the team swam away with an 8-3 win that allowed them to advance to the finals against Golden West.
In that match Antonissen had 11 saves, which kept Long Beach City College at bay and ineffective to pressure the RCC.
On the other hand Golden West College had its share of competition against No. 3 Cerritos College, as Golden West College escaped with an 8-5 win.
Following the finals match against Golden West, David Almquist, coach of RCC, told Viewpoints Golden West was weaken in its match against Cerritos College, which allowed Riverside to take advantage of the opportunity and take the regional title without a struggle.
As the 2011 Southern California champions, the Tigers submitted their spot in the state championship tournament, which will be held at Cerritos College Nov. 18 through 19.
RCC faces Diablo Valley College, which is the No. 2 team from the north, Nov. 18 at 2:15 p.m.
The other match is Golden West College against Merced College, the No. 1 team from the North, at 11:45 p.m.
The Tigers will attempt to capture its second straight state championship.
As a sophomore on the team, Antonissen has had her share of experience in the state championship tournament last season, as the Tigers defeated Long Beach City College, 9-7, Nov. 20, 2010, to capture the state title.
“The best advice I get is ‘do not go into the (match) nerves that you keep jumping,'” she said. “That is my No. 1 goal and I have learned to trust my defense (…) and to have patience and have everyone to be strong in communication because it is a key to our defense.”