The Ventura College women's water polo team split a pair of games Friday to begin the Chaffey Tournament in Rancho Cucamonga. VC (2-4) defeated Cerritos 13-10 in the opener before falling 8-6 to Fresno in the latter matchup. Cecily Loya led Ventura with seven goals on the day with five assists and four steals.
Ventura 13, Cerritos 10
The Pirates opened the tournament with a strong performance against the Falcons. VC turned a 6-6 halftime tie into a 10-7 lead at the end of three quarters in the decisive stretch. Christina Tellez led the offense with five goals to go along with two steals and a pair of drawn ejections. Loya contributed four goals with four assists and three steals while Melissa Robles, Reginae Maturino, Raquel Rodriguez and Cheyanne Irigoyen all scored a goal apiece. Miranda Campos had 10 saves in net with a pair of steals.
Ventura 6, Fresno 8
Defense was the name of the game in the nightcap as the Pirates fell short of the Rams. Jessica Gean led the way with three drawn ejections and a drawn 5m penalty in addition to a goal on offense. Loya netted three scores with an assist and a steal while Tellez also scored a goal. Maturino had three steals for Ventura. while Campos recorded 13 saves and three steals.
The Pirates will battle Cypress and San Diego Mesa to close the tournament on Saturday Sept. 20 and will open their home schedule on Wednesday Sept. 24 against Citrus. That match is slated to begin at 2:15 pm at the Ventura Aquatic Center.