Tigers Split Pair of Orange Empire Conference Tournament Games, Play for Third Place Saturday
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Splitting a pair of games in the first day of the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Championship Tournament at Golden West College, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's water polo team will play for third place on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Riverside (8-16 overall) won a sudden death overtime quarterfinal game against Saddleback College, 23-22, then lost a semifinal contest to top-seeded Golden West College, 18-8, on Thursday (Nov. 6).
Against Saddleback, after ending the first half tied at 8-8, behind offense of freshman Trevor Tripp (Beaumont / Beaumont '14), who had a team-high seven goals, the Tigers opened up a four-goal lead by the end of the third period. However, by the 4:00 mark of the fourth quarter, Riverside's lead was erased and the two teams headed into overtime, tied, 18-18.
After each team scored two goals in the first overtime period, Saddleback took a two-goal lead in second extra session. But freshman Joey Valdez (Redlands / Redlands '14), who is pictured, scored two goals, once of which came from the perimeter with 45 seconds left in the game. Then, with 11 seconds remaining, RCC ran a timeout play that ended with freshman Joseph Rivas (San Clemente / Temescal Canyon '14), who finished with six goals, buried the equalizer to force a sudden death overtime period.
After winning the sprint to begin "sudden death," RCC second-year head coach Jason Northcott called his final 30-second timeout to set up a play that found sophomore Daniel Rolph (Palm Desert / Palm Desert '13) netting the game-winner from the left hander's side of the pool.
The Tigers will play in the third-place game on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 11:10 a.m. at Golden West College. They will play the losing team of the Orange Coast College vs. Fullerton College game.
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