The Ventura College women's water polo team recorded its first wins of the young season, sweeping a pair of matches against Northern California opponents at the Central Coast Tournament at Cuesta College in San Luia Obispo Saturday. VC (2-2) defeated Foothill 13-6 in the opener before besting Merced 15-7 in the second match. Kelsey Golden had five goals and eight steals on the day while Katie Heath recorded four scores with five steals and four assists.
Ventura 13, Foothill 6
The Pirates jumped out at a 4-1 first quarter lead over the Owls en route to their first win of the season. They extended the advantage to 13-3, scoring eight unanswered goals in the first 10-plus minutes of the second half.
Sabrina Cherfane and Sara McGuire led the balanced attack with three goals each while Golden had two goals and seven steals. Heath contributed a pair of scores with two assists and two steals and Katia Flores had two helpers and five steals. Haley Hall recorded five saves in the cage with a pair of steals and an assist.
Ventura 15, Merced 7
VC took control in the opening period, leading the Blue Devils 6-2 after eight minutes of play. Ventura expanded the lead to 8-3 at halftime and led 13-4 at the end of three quarters.
Golden had three goals and a steal to lead the way while Heath had two scores, three steals and a pair of assists. Samantha Ontiveros and Adriana Bese also scored twice in the win. Caysee McCormick hauled in three steals with a goal and Cherfane had two assists and a score. Hall turned back nine shots in goal.
Ventura will next travel to the Riverside Tournament Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15 and 16.