Water Polo Earns Last-Second Win over OUAZ
Maybe the men’s water polo team caught a bit of the magic left over from Wednesday night’s come-from-behind victories for men’s a women’s soccer. Following in their footsteps, the Warriors captured an 8-7 win over OUAZ Thursday afternoon at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.
by BRANDON PETERSEN
Maybe the men's water polo team caught a bit of the magic left over from Wednesday night's come-from-behind victories for men's and women's soccer.
Following in their footsteps, the Warriors captured an 8-7 win over OUAZ Thursday afternoon at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.
Westcliff scored four goals in the final period, including three in the final two minutes.
Luca Silvestri won it for the Warriors on a goal scored with two seconds left in regulation.
"It was really a perfect finish," Westcliff head coach Preslav Djippov said. "We deserved it. It was a such a desirable win. We were so close in so many recent matches, but this time it worked out perfectly. We're really excited about this win. We needed it right before the NAIA Championships."
The contest was a defensive battle throughout, Westcliff goalie Roberto Barrera finished with 12 saves and a pair of steals, and his OUAZ counterpart, Clay Gyde finished with 11 and one.
Silvestri finished with four goals.
Collin Moore, Djordje Mitrovic, Mark Daniel Merai and Inigo Gonzalez finished with one each.
Westcliff was energized by a sizable home contingent on hand to celebrate water polo's annual October Pink-Out match.
A large group of Warrior Cheerleaders were on hand, giving out pink pom-poms to fans and generating a ton of energy from the stands during the contest.
The players flexed for the crowd when they hit the game-winner.
"Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the support," Djippov said. "All the fans, all the cheerleaders, and the Westcliff spirit was really, really good. If you guys keep coming here, we will win every game."
Up next, the Warriors have a pair of contests Saturday, at Citrus College (1:40 p.m.) and at Saddleback College (6:20 p.m.).
"We are excited for the (NAIA) finals, but right now we need to focus on Saturday's game," Djippov said. "We'll be down in San Diego, so right now we need to focus on that."
The best-of-three NAIA Championships begin Nov. 12.
To contact Brandon Petersen, e-mail brandonpetersen@westcliff.edu.