Behind a solid and balanced performance, the VC women's water polo team claimed two victories to open the truWest Battle at the Beach Tournament in Long Beach Friday. Ventura came from behind to defeat Grossmont 12-10 in the opener before besting Pasadena 15-9 in the nightcap to win their pool. Sabrina Cherfane netted seven goals to lead the Pirates while Kayla Wallace pulled in 11 steals defensively to lead the way. The Pirates (11-11, 0-3) have now won six of their last seven matches.
Ventura 12, Grossmont 10
VC fell behind 4-1 to the Griffins after the first quarter, but battled back with a 4-0 shutout second period to hold a 5-4 halftime edge. Sara McGuire and Wallace each had late third period scores, giving the Pirates a 9-7 lead headed to the final stanza. Kelsey Golden found the back of the net twice early in the fourth to give VC some breathing room in the 12-10 victory.
Golden had three goals in the game with two assists and a steal while McGuire also scored three times with one drawn exclusion and a theft. Wallace had a pair of goals, two helpers, and five steals while Katie Heath and Cherfane also scored twice each. Haley Hall turned back 10 Griffin shots in goal.
Ventura 15, Pasadena 9
The Pirates jumped out to a 4-1 lead less than five minutes into the contest, with four different players scoring goals. Ventura shutout the Lancers in the second period to take a commanding 7-2 advantage into intermission. While PCC outscored Ventura in the third quarter, the Pirates were never really threatened in the 15-9 victory.
Cherfane had five goals, two assists and four steals to lead the Pirate attack and Golden netted three scores with two assists and five steals. Wallace had two goals with two helpers and six thefts while Heath scored twice with a pair of assists and two steals. McGuire scored tow goals and Katia Flores also found the net for VC. Hall recorded five saves in the game and Sophia Anorga also turned back four Pasadena shots.
The Pirates won their pool in the tournament, and will play LA Valley and Palomar on Saturday Oct. 21 to conclude the draw. Games are scheduled for 9:10 am and 12:40 pm, respectively, both at Long Beach City College.