In a tough clash during the Riverside City College mini water polo tournament, the men’s team struggled to keep pace, falling 13-5 against #3 Long Beach.
Despite flashes of brilliance, the loss highlighted the challenges of maintaining consistency against high-level competition.
The Tigers employed a spirited effort, in the face of missed opportunities on offense Riverside City College never gave up and fought until the end. The loss highlighted areas for improvement but also gave the Tigers motivation and momentum to finish the season strong.
“I’m proud of the guy’s effort. We were humbled that it’s one of the top three teams in the state,” said Head Coach Jason Northcott “We brought more intensity and made sacrifices for each other.”
The first quarter saw the Tigers trail by 4 without a response however late in the first quarter the Tigers answered.
The second quarter saw the Tigers play more defensively forcing turnovers and creating opportunities on the counterattack.
However, missed chances and great goalkeeping from the opposition kept the game one-sided. The Vikings using their momentum from the first quarter expanded their lead to 8-1 by halftime shutting out the Tigers.
The third quarter saw the Vikings continue their dominance scoring three more points early in the quarter expanding their lead to 11-.
However, this invigorated the Tigers to get on the scoreboard some more and they would go on to score four unanswered points against the Vikings.
The Tigers were able to capitalize on defensive gaps and maintained control throughout the third quarter while the Vikings struggled to convert late.
In the final quarter, the Vikings were able to seal their victory with two more goals and again did not allow the Tigers to score that quarter.
“For them being top three in the state I thought we played well obviously not the result we wanted but we can learn from this,” goalkeeper Leonardo Davis said.
“We played hard, the second quarter was a testament to what we can do. I think we played well, all things aside,” Assistant Coach Zoran Dragomirovic said.
The game ended with the Vikings in firm control handing a tough defeat to the Tigers in the tournament.
The Tigers will look to bounce back against Cuesta at the Golden West Tournament and make a deep run at the tournament.
