The VC women's water polo team won two of three games during day one of the Ventura Tournament Friday at the Ventura Aquatic Center. After dropping the opener to Fullerton 14-9, VC defeated Golden West 11-5 and ran away from Pasadena 16-5. Lauren Mora scored nine goals with four assists and four steals, and she added five saves in the cage in relief in game three, to lead Ventura (11-3, 1-1). Megan Findlay found the inside of the cage eight times with five helpers and four steals on the day. Katie Falls recorded 26 saves in goal.
Ventura 9, Fullerton 14
The Hornets scored the first three goals of the game before Mora and Anna Lowe netted goals to make it 3-2 with 2:51 left in the first quarter. Fullerton scored two more times before the quarter break, however, and the Pirates could not manage to stay close.
Mora finished with five goals in the game to go along with two steals defensively. Lowe came in with four scores and Kiran Shah handed out three assists. Sierra Cameron finished with an assist and three drawn ejections while goalie Katie Falls turned back nine Hornet shots and grabbed two thefts.
Ventura 11, Golden West 5
Megan Findlay scored early, and Mora followed with a pair of first quarter goals as the Pirates took a 3-1 lead midway through the opening period. The Rustlers came back, however, and tied the score at 3-3 at the quarter break.
Findlay sandwiched a pair of scores around a goal by Fiona Watkins to open the second period as VC took control of the game holding an 8-4 advantage at halftime.
Findlay finished with four goals, and assist, a steal and one drawn ejection while Mora totaled two goals and two assists. Watkins also had a pair of scores and led the defense with six steals. Shah grabbed four thefts defensively and Falls had 11 saves in the cage for VC. Lowe, Cameron and Natalia Rodriguez also netted goals for the Pirates in the win.
Ventura 16, Pasadena 5
Watkins, Shah and Lowe all scored early goals and Findlay found the inside of the cage twice and Ventura opened up a 5-1 lead over the Lancers in the first quarter of play in Friday's game three. Bryanna Soto and Rodriguez scored early in the second and the Pirates were well on their way to the runaway victory.
Findlay led the balanced attack with four goals and two assists. Rodriguez, Lowe and Mora all finished with two scores each while Mora also recorded five saves in relief in the cage. Shah turned in another stellar performance on defense with nine steals and she added a goal and two assists offensively. Cameron grabbed three thefts in the game. Watkins, Emmie Johnston, Lauren Pierce, Bryanna Soto and Isabel Tenison also added scores for Ventura in the triumph.
Ventura will close their tournament at the Ventura Aquatic Center on Saturday Oct. 9 at 8:00 am against Mt. San Antonio.