The VC men's water polo turned things around Friday with a pair of solid victories on the first day of the American River Tournament in Sacramento Friday. The Pirates defeated Santa Rosa 11-4 in the opener before defeating he hosts 12-11 in the nightcap. Dominic Tassano netted 10 goals on the day while J'son Ruiz turned back 26 shots in the cage for VC (3-8, 0-1).
Ventura 11, Santa Rosa 4
VC came out with a solid first eight minutes, leading 2-1 at the end of the quarter, before pulling away for a 7-2 advantage at intermission. The Pirates appeared more calm and controlled in the game, excelling on the defensive end of the pool in the 11-4 win. Tassano had six goals to lead the offense and Keaton Hess had a pair of scores. Marcus Rodarte, Daniel Amorim and Mitchell Ongstad all scored one goal for the Pirates. Ruiz had 12 saves in the net.
Ventura 12, American River 11
The Pirates fought through some adversity against the Beavers, trailing 9-6 midway through the third quarter before coming back for the 12-11 victory. Ruiz recorded 14 saves in goal and Tassano and Amorim each scored four goals. Ongstad, Alejandro Astudillo, Alec Kruse and Trevor Edwards also netted scores.
The Pirates will complete play in the ARC Tournament on Saturday Oct. 4 against the Gold Coast Masters and Sierra College.