Riverside Reaches CCCAA Championship Game for Third Straight Season, Faces S.D. Mesa Saturday

PASADENA -- Reaching the state championship game for the third consecutive season and fifth time in the last six seasons, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's water polo team will be seeking its fifth state championship when it faces the San Diego Mesa College (SDMC) Olympians on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m.

The 2015 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Women's Water Polo Championships are being hosted by Pasadena City College (PCC) this weekend (Nov. 20-21).

Riverside (26-3 overall), the 2013 and 2014 state runner-up, and current South No. 1 seed, advanced to the state championship final for the third consecutive season with a 12-8 win over the North No. 2-seeded San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC) Mustangs (23-7 overall) Friday (Nov. 20).

In the other CCCAA semifinal game, South No. 2 seed SDMC (27-3 overall) edged the North No. 1-seeded Diablo Valley College (DVC) Vikings (25-3 overall), 9-8.

On Saturday, Riverside will face SDMC at 2 p.m. after SJDC meets Diablo Valley in the third-place game at 11 a.m.

In the win over SJDC, the teams were tied, 4-4, at the end of the first quarter and 6-6 at halftime before RCC pulled ahead, 8-6, after three quarters.

Frosh attacker Mary Myers (Riverside / M.L. King HS '15) scored three goals and frosh two-meter offensive player Jacqueline Godinez (Menifee / Vista Murrieta HS '15) also chipped in with three goals.

RCC sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Chang (Laie, Oahu, HI / Kahuku HS '13) -- who is pictured -- went the distance against SJDC. (The total number of saves Chang recorded was not available.)

It was the Tigers' third win in three games against SJDC this season. Saturday's meeting between RCC and SDMC will be the fourth this season and Riverside leads seasonal series, 2-1.

Friday's appearance in the CCCAA Championships was Riverside's third consecutive and 11th in the last 12 seasons (except for 2012) and 14th all-time. Riverside has won the state championship four times (2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011), has been runner-up five times (1999, 2001, 2006, 2013, and 2014) and has placed third on four occasions (2000, tie-2004, 2008, 2009) since the women's water polo state championships were initiated with the 1996 campaign.

Among the other three semifinalists, none has won a state championship. Diablo Valley is making its ninth appearance and has finished as high as third four times (tie in 2004, tie in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2014). San Joaquin Delta is making its second appearance and finished eighth in 2002. San Diego Mesa is making its first appearance at the CCCAA Women's Water Polo Championships.

Third-year RCC head women's water polo coach Doug Finfrock (UC Irvine '03) was a goaltender for RCC men's water polo in 1999 & 2000. He was a first team all-Orange Empire Conference (OEC) selection and second team all-America honoree in 1999. In 2000, he was a first team all-OEC pick, first team all-Southern California selection, and garnered first team all-America kudos. 

Finfrock brings an overall record of 81-14 heading into Saturday's CCCAA Championships Final. He has two CCCAA runner-up finishes: in 2013 (28-5 overall) and 2014 (27-6 overall). 

***

http://www.cccaasports.org/sports/wwaterpolo/composite - Women

-30-