Strong second half lifts Pirates past Hornets, 10-6
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast (8-5, 1-0) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
|
Fullerton (7-4, 0-1) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
FULLERTON -- In a matchup between two of the top teams in the Orange Empire Conference, the Orange Coast College women's water polo team pulled away with a 10-6 win at Fullerton College on Wednesday afternoon.
After falling behind 3-1 in the first quarter, the Pirates (8-5, 1-0 in the OEC) returned the favor on the Hornets (7-4, 0-1), outscoring them 3-1 in the second, third and fourth quarters to earn the hard-fought win.
Coast trailed 5-4 early in the third quarter but turned the momentum in its favor with four straight goals to end the third quarter and start the fourth. Finley Munchoff, Ariah Martinez, Layla Vargas and Brooke Kaltenbach found the back of the net during that key run as the Pirates grabbed an 8-5 lead with just over 6 minutes remaining.
Fullerton answered back with a goal with 4:57 left in the game, but Munchoff scored twice over the final four minutes with assists from Vargas and Emma Willis to close out the scoring.
Muchoff finished with four goals on seven shots to go along with three steals for OCC. Kaltenbach added three goals, while Martinez tossed in two.
OCC goalie, Savannah Pena came up big when she needed to, earning nine saves and three steals to pick up a key win over the Hornets.
Ava Spear and Mckenna Dunning each had three goals for the Hornets.
The Pirates will return to the OCC Aquatics Pavilion on Wednesday to take on Riverside City College, beginning at 2:15 p.m.
