Locked in a defensive battle with rival Long Beach City College in the South Coast Conference Tournament championship game, the Cerritos College women's water polo team came up short in a 6-4 decision. The Falcons (20-7, 8-2), looking for their first conference title since 2012, held a 4-2 lead at intermission. However, they would not be able to add to their total the remainder of the game, as the Vikings (21-8, 10-0) shut them out the rest of the way.
Cerritos was aided by a pair of 5-meter goals in the first period from sophomore Mia Carbajal (Schurr HS) to help them take a 2-1 lead. It was a 2-2 match by the end of the first period until freshman Miranda Alvarez (Schurr HS) put the Falcons in front with a goal, while Romero made it 4-2 in her goal with 3:17 left in the first half. The Falcons were able to shut out the Vikings in the second quarter, but could not score again after that.
On the day, Cerritos only got off 18 shots, while they committed 10 turnovers, which slowed their offensive production. But they were able to limit Long Beach City to just 13 shots, with the defense recording 13 steals. Freshman goalkeeper Leslie Meza (California HS) turned away seven shots and shared the team lead in steals with three along with sophomore Melodie Carbajal (El Rancho HS/Fullerton College).
The Falcons will find out on Sunday where they are seeded for the Southern California Regional Playoffs, which get underway on Thursday at Southwestern College.
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W. Water Polo: All-American honors awarded to Mia Carbajal
November 11, 2021
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W. Water Polo: Conference championship eludes Falcons
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W. Water Polo: Win over state's top team highlights tournament
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W. Water Polo: Pair of wins on first day highlights tournament
October 20, 2021
W. Water Polo: Falcons hand Mt. SAC first conference loss
October 13, 2021
W. Water Polo: Cerritos comes up short in 10-9 decision
October 1, 2021
W. Water Polo: Team splits pair of games at tournament
September 29, 2021
W. Water Polo: Win keeps Falcons undefeated in conference play
September 17, 2021
W. Water Polo: Team posts pair of convincing wins
September 11, 2021
W. Water Polo: Cerritos wins three of four games at tournament
September 9, 2021
W. Water Polo: Early season battle results in win for the Falcons
September 3, 2021
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