The Cerritos College men's water polo team sprinted out to a 5-1 lead at the end of the first quarter against Ventura College in their non-conference match at the Falcon Aquatic Center on Friday afternoon. But the offense stalled after that, as the Falcons scored just three more goals the remainder of the game. But it was enough to hold off the Pirates (1-2), 8-7, thanks to the goalie cage and freshman goalie Alfredo De La Mora (Bell Gardens HS). Cerritos will now open defense of their South Coast Conference championship next Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. when they travel to take on Mt. San Antonio College.

It was a quick 4-0 lead for the Falcons in the first quarter, and after sophomore Miguel Garcia (Montebello HS) scored on a five-meter shot with 1:08 left, Cerritos held what appeared to be a comfortable 5-1 advantage. But the Pirates slowly worked their way back into the game and got to within 5-3 in the second quarter on a Tim Allen goal with 3:08 remaining. Garcia scored his second of three five-meter goals, followed by a late goal from freshman Carlos Abrego for a 7-3 lead at intermission.

Ventura was victimized in the game by the goalie cage, as five of their shots were turned away, while De La Mora posted 17 saves to serve as the best defense for the Falcons. De La Mora also posted three steals and assisted on a pair of goals.

But the Cerritos offense stalled, as they went scoreless in the third quarter and needed a 5-meter goal from Garcia with 4:05 left in the game for an 8-5 lead. Jimmy Edwald and Nick Miranda scored for Ventura to get to within 8-7 with 1:22 remaining. They were able to get a steal from Allen with :19 seconds left after the Falcons tried to push the ball toward the goal. Setting up after a timeout, Cerritos returned the favor, as Garcia stole the ball with seven seconds left to secure the win.

The duo of freshmen Eugene Lee (Long Beach Wilson HS) and Marlon Moreno (Virgen del Rosario HS, Venezuela) each scored twice, while Lee and Garcia both posted three steals.

Photos by Daryl Peterson