Vaqueros top Ventura 16-7 to claim fifth straight WSC title

Players and coaches enjoy a wet celebration after the Vaqueros won their fifth straight WSC championship and 32nd straight conference game.
Players and coaches enjoy a wet celebration after the Vaqueros won their fifth straight WSC championship and 32nd straight conference game.

SBCC jumped ahead of Ventura 5-1 and 11-4 on Saturday on the way to a 16-7 victory that gave the Vaqueros their fifth straight WSC women's water polo title at Santa Monica College.

Santa Barbara, the No. 1 tourney seed and No. 2 in the state, used a balanced scoring attack with five players notching hat tricks – Emma Fraser, Kemi Dijkstra, Sarah Parson, Meagan Mckillican and Hana Wigzell.

Fraser also had four steals and tied Rocio Fesembeck's 2014 single-season school record with 111 goals. Mckillican had three goals, two assists and three drawn ejections. Nicole Poulos, a sophomore from Carpinteria High, played the first three quarters in goal and made four saves to raise her record to 19-2.

It was the seventh straight win for the Vaqueros (28-2), who completed their third straight undefeated conference campaign (8-0). They've won 32 straight WSC contests and they're 42-2 in five years of WSC action.

"Today was a great team effort and everyone contributed," said coach Chuckie Roth. "We showed great poise on offense and our defense was very good. We countered very well today.

"We're looking forward to playing in the So Cal Regional."

The defending state champion Vaqueros will be seeking their third straight Southern Cal Regional title on Friday and Saturday at Cerritos College. They've been seeded No. 2 and will open on Friday at 11:30 a.m. vs. No. 7 Cypress.