SBCC outlasted Long Beach 17-13 on Saturday, then dropped a 6-4 decision to Riverside in the championship game of the Rabobank Invitational women's water polo tournament at Cuesta in San Luis Obispo.
The Vaqueros (16-2) had their nine-game win streak snapped. SBCC is 49-4 the last two years and 1-4 against Riverside. The Tigers (13-1) beat the Vaqueros 9-8 in overtime in last year's state final.
Riverside went 4-0 in the two-day, nine-team tourney and the Vaqueros were second at 3-1.
Emma Fraser scored six goals in the first game as the Vaqueros stretched a 7-6 halftime lead to 17-9 on a goal by Kemi Dijkstra with 4:21 to play. Fraser, a freshman from Victoria, BC in Canada, also had three steals and three drawn ejections.
Sarah Parson had four goals, Dijkstra had three assists and Halie Johnson made three steals in the Long Beach game.
The title game was tight throughout with the rivals tied 2-2 at the half and Riverside taking a 4-3 lead into the final quarter. The Tigers went up 5-3, then the Vaqueros got within one on a goal by Dijkstra with 3:41 to play. Riverside added the game's final goal 26 seconds later.
Fraser and Johnson both had a goal and three steals. The Vaqueros committed a season-high 17 turnovers.
The Vaqueros will take next week off, then return to WSC action on Wednesday, Oct. 11 in a 4:15 p.m. game at L.A. Valley. The three-time defending WSC champion Vaqueros are 3-0 in conference play.
