Alexis Naucler | Staff Writer

Oct. 16, 2014

The RCC men’s water polo team endured the stamina of a marathon, the contact of hockey and the strategy of chess in their two day Riverside Tournament.

RCC suffered a 16-10 loss to Diablo Valley College Oct. 10, followed by a 17-13 loss to the Palomar College Comets in tournament play.

“(Diablo Valley) is top three in the state and possibly has the most speed of any team,” RCC Head Coach Jason Northcott said. “They were definitely a high-level opponent.”

Freshman drivers Brandt Restad and Chris Frazee had four goals apiece and six assists to lead the Tigers while freshman goalie Jeremy Mariscal had five saves.
Against the Comets, Restad had four goals while freshman Joseph Rivas recorded three goals. Mariscal had nine saves in the game.

On Day Two of the tournament, the Tigers fell short to the Grossmont College Griffins, 12-11.

“The game against Grossmont was close it went back and forth until the end,” Northcott said.

Restad had four goals and Mariscal had 11 saves against the Griffins.

The Tigers entered the fourth game of the tournament with a victory over the Ventura Pirates. The Tigers had experience against the Pirates from an earlier match-up this season and used that for their game plan.

“Last time we played Ventura at the Cuesta Tournament, we went down 4-1 in the first quarter and had to fight back into the game before eventually winning by 2 goals,” Northcott said.

In this meeting, the Tigers built a 7-1 lead in the first quarter, against the Pirates. The win snapped a five-game losing streak, including the first three games of the tournament.

Rivas had five goals against the Pirates while Mariscal contributed with eight saves.

Northcott believes the team has improved in many areas this season but is not content with where the team is.

The Tigers will play in the Riverside City College Mini Tournament Oct.17 before playing Golden West in nonconference play Oct. 22.