In their South Coast Conference opener on Wednesday afternoon, the Cerritos College women's water polo team got off to an 8-0 first quarter lead over El Camino College on their way to a 16-6 win, which also served as the team's hope opener. The win was the third in a row for the Falcons (3-2), who will now enter the Riverside City Tournament this weekend and play four games.
The trio of freshmen Carolina Medrano (Schurr HS), Kate De La Mora (Schurr HS) and Lesly Madrid (Long Beach Jordan HS) each scored twice in the fast start for Cerritos. The team transitioned after a steal or save from sophomore goalkeeper Dulce Medina (Paramount HS) to take their big lead. It was an 11-4 contest by halftime, with the entire Falcon roster seeing extended playing time.
Medina, who kept the Warriors at bay with her 14 saves, was also aided by 16 Cerritos steals. It led to eight different players scoring goals, with De La Mora leading the team with four tallies, while Medrano finished with three goals and two steals. Madrid scored both of her goals in the first quarter and shared the team lead in steals at three with freshman Lizbeth Ramirez (Sunny Hills HS).
Of the 12 field players for Cerritos, 10 of them posted at least one steal, with sophomore Lizbeth Gomez (Schurr HS) and freshman Marisela Olivas (Schurr HS) both adding a pair of goals.
Photos by Daryl Peterson
