Thirteen was the magic number for SBCC on Friday as the Vaqueros knocked off Long Beach 13-9 and Orange Coast 13-6 at the Riverside Women's Water Polo Tournament.
The Vaqueros are 6-0 on the year. They started 22-0 last year on the way to a 33-2 campaign and a state runner-up finish.
Emma Fraser, a freshman from Victoria, British Columbia, made her Vaquero debut after playing for the Canadian 20U team in the FINA Junior Women's World Championships in Velos, Greece. She scored three goals in the Long Beach game and four against OCC. Lexi Rond had three goals, two assists and two steals in the first game and Sara Parson added three second-half goals.
"We played well today and goalie Nicole Poulos (7 saves in 3 quarters) was outstanding in the Orange Coast game," said coach Chuckie Roth. "Alyssa Russell-Sadoff played amazing center defense.
"The team is coming together. We have identified several areas of growth and improvement. It's going to be fun watching this team get better and better throughout the year."
The Vaqueros broke a 3-3 tie by outscoring the Vikings 7-0 in the middle two quarters. Parson tallied the first two goals in the third period for a 7-3 lead and Tori Bray scored at the 7:09 mark of the fourth quarter for a commanding 11-3 advantage.
Kemi Djikstra added three goals in the Orange Coast win. It was the first loss for the Pirates (5-1), who came in averaging 12.4 goals a game. The Vaqueros built a 7-2 lead at halftime thanks to two straight goals by Fraser and another by Bray with 1:09 to go before intermission.
SBCC will take on San Joaquin Delta on Saturday at 7:45 a.m., then have a rematch with state champion Riverside at 2:15 p.m. The Tigers handed the Vaquero both of their losses last year, including a 9-8 setback in double OT in the state final.
