For the second straight year, the Cerritos women’s water polo team ended league play by wrapping up the South Coast Conference championship by beating Pasadena City College, 14-3, on Oct. 28 at the Falcons Aquatic Center.
The win was the 19th straight for the Falcons, who improved to 7-0 conference record and 26-1 overall.
The home side made quick work of the Lancers by jumping out to a 5-0 lead courtesy of goals from five different players in the first quarter.
The Falcons cruised along for the remainder of the contest, never letting Pasadena come any closer.
They extended the lead to 10-1 by the end of the first half, and cruised along from there.
The two sides traded goals in the third quarter, making the score 11-2.
Cerritos added a few more in the fourth quarter before Pasadena tacked on a final tally to end the game at 14-3.
“The starters built up a good lead for us, and the reserves were able to add on to it,” explained head coach Sergio Macias.
As has been the case for much of the season, sophomore Natalie Peng led the team in scoring against the Lancers with two goals.
Also netting two goals in the match were Sharon Pedregon, Nicole Tuning, Jessie Ku and Mehgan Carbajal.
Sophomore Miranda Bakke started the game and made six saves in the first half, with freshman Melissa Cedarholm coming in to play and recording four saves in the second half.
The win against Pasadena put the Falcons in a familiar position, the driver’s seat, going into the upcoming South Coast Conference tournament.
Cerritos enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed and will begin action against LA Trade-Tech on Nov. 5.
Entering at the No. 2 spot is a familiar foe, the Vikings of Long Beach. The two teams met four times last year, with Cerritos walking away victorious in each contest.
Earlier this season, the two teams matched up at Cerritos in what was a close, physical contest, with the Falcons winning, 6-4.
“We know how they play, so beating them gives us more confidence for when we play them again,” Peng said.
Besides Long Beach, the team is looking forward to the possibility of future matches against Riverside and Golden West.
“We’ve never got a chance to play (Golden West). They have been ranked in the top three in state all year, so we want to play them,” Peng pointed out.
Before it has a chance to take on the top schools in the state, the team must first take care of business in the conference tournament.
Based on the body of work they have produced thus far this season, the Falcons should easily move on to the regional tournament.
This season, the team has outscored its opponents 396 to 115. With so few games against opponents that play up to the same level as them, the Falcons must rely on each other to stay at a high level.
“Our scrimmages are what keep us up,” explained Jenel Lopez. “The competition is very high in practice.”
Peng added that, “(Our scrimmages) are better than half the games we play in the season.”
The depth of Cerritos may be the key to its success in the run of games they will soon be playing on its way to what the players hope will be another state championship.
“Talent-wise, the team is pretty deep. We have the depth to match up against anyone,” proclaimed sophomore Melinda Guevara.
Whether this depth will be enough to carry the team to another state championship remains to be seen, but the Falcons are confident they have what it takes to get the job done.
“I think we have a strong chance to repeat. Last year’s returners got a good taste of (success) and the freshmen this year want it as well,” Macias stated.
One thing returners like Peng learned from their success last year was the importance of never giving up.
“We have to have heart. Last year in the semis (of the state tournament) we were down by six or seven and we came back,” Peng remembered.
