The VC men's water polo team won a pair of games on the first day of the Saddleback Tournament in Mission Viejo on Friday. After an opening 20-8 setback against the hosts, the Pirates defeated Crafton Hills 21-3 and Palomar 20-3 in the final two contests. Andre Galvez finished the day with 17 goals and seven assists and Zane Herman netted eight scores and eight assists. Jaeger Gonzales and Mariano Galvez each had 17 saves in goal in the three games.
Ventura 8, Saddleback 20
The Pirates opened the day with a 20-8 setback to the tournament hosts. Andre led the offensive effort with six goals and four drawn ejections. Joseph Lowry and Zane Herman also netted scores in the game.
Ventura had a strong first quarter with Andre pacing the effort. He scored three times in the period as the Pirates and bobcats were tied at 3-3 at the quarter break. Saddleback took charge with a 5-1 second quarter and continued to pull away from VC in the second half.
Ventura 21, Crafton Hills 3
VC's second game of the day was only close on the opening sprint. The Pirates recorded eight goals from seven different players in the opening period to take complete control of the outcome. Andre finished with five scores, three assists and a pair of steals to lead the way while Janson Cunningham had three goals with a pair of helpers and two thefts. Herman also found the cage three times with three assists. Christian Scanlan scored a goal with three assists and three steals and Mariano turned back nine shots in goal.
Ventura 20, Palomar 3
Andre opened the game with four straight goals as Ventura pulled away from the Comets in the first quarter. VC led 8-0 at the end of the period en route to the 20-3 triumph. He finished with six goals and three assists to lead the way while Herman posted four scores, three assists and three steals. Brayden Lauritzen found the cage three times with a pair of helpers and Alexis Nava scored twice with two assists and two thefts. Gonzales had seven saves in goal in the game and Mariano turned back six shots.
The Pirates continue play at the Saddleback Tournament on Saturday Oct. 2. They will host Citrus on Wednesday Oct. 6 at 2:00 pm at the Ventura Aquatic Center.