Over the weekend, the Cerritos College men's water polo team played four games at the Golden West Tournament and split them. On the first day, they suffered tough losses to Saddleback College (16-10) and then an 18-17 sudden victory decision to crosstown rival Long Beach City College, while they rebounded the second day with wins over Los Angeles Valley College (9-7) and Rio Hondo College (14-7).

The Falcons (6-2) will now open South Coast Conference play on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. when they host El Camino College.

Cerritos vs. Saddleback: Taking on the Bobcats, the Falcons found themselves in an early deficit, as they trailed 5-1 after the first period. In an 11-goal second period, Cerritos came out and scored the first three goals from three different players, but saw Saddleback score six of the final eight goals in the period to maintain their lead. After a difficult third period, the two teams alternated scoring in the fourth period and the Falcons could not close the gap. Freshman Dominic Hernandez (Schurr HS) and sophomore Mario Vanzillotta (Colegio Palas, Brazil) each scored three times for the Falcons, while Hernandez also added three assists and three steals. The goalkeeping duo of freshmen Rene Borja (Schurr HS) and Owen Fahringer (Long Beach Millikan HS) combined to make six saves on the game.

Cerritos vs. Long Beach City: Always a battle to the end when these two teams meet, this early-season contest was no different. With time running out in regulation, freshman Michael Reyes (Cerritos HS) scored with :02 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Neither team scored in the first overtime period, so it became a sudden victory situation, with the Vikings coming away with the deciding goal. The match was tied 13 times, with the largest lead being a 15-12 Long Beach City advantage early in the fourth period. Hernandez, along with sophomore Seamus MacDonald (Long Beach Millikan HS) and Ben Neppl (Long Beach Millikan HS/Long Beach City College) all scored to draw the team even at 15-15 with 2:00 left in regulation. The teams traded goals until Reyes was able to send the game to extra time with his second goal of the game. Hernandez led the Falcons with six goals, while Neppl added four against his former team. Sophomore Juan Anguiano (Kennedy HS) assisted on six goals, while the goalkeeping pair of Fahringer and Borja each made five saves.

Cerritos vs. Los Angeles Valley: These two teams always play tight playoff-like water polo when they face each other, and this tournament game was no different. Locked in a 5-5 tie late in the third period, freshman Abimael Anorve (Mira Costa HS) started what would be four consecutive Cerritos goals, as he gave the team a 6-5 lead on his goal with :20 seconds left in the third period. That seemed to spark the team, with Vanzillotta scoring twice, followed by a MacDonald goal in the fourth period, while the defense started locking down the Monarch scorers. LA Valley did score twice in the final minute, but the Falcons were able to come away with the win. Along with his three goals, Vanzillotta assisted on another goal, while MacDonald and sophomore Joey Hurtado (Cerritos HS) each scored twice. Fahringer, who also assisted on a goal, turned away eight shots in goal.

Cerritos vs. Rio Hondo: The Falcons squared off against South Coast Conference opponent Rio Hondo in their final game of the tournament. Opening a 5-1 lead after the first period, Cerritos led the Roadrunners, 8-3 at intermission, with six different players scoring. Continuing with their balanced scoring, Hernandez led the team with three goals, while nine players got on the board. Borja stepped into the goalkeeper position and recorded nine saves to earn his second win of the season.