Tigers Defeat San Joaquin Delta, 9-5, in CCCAA Semifinal; Face No. 1 seed Santa Barbara City for State Title Saturday
LIVERMORE -- Reaching the state championship game for the fourth consecutive year and sixth time this decade, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's water polo team also has reached the ultimate game for the eleventh time in its 20-year history.
The 21st annual California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Women's Water Polo Championships Tournament is being held this weekend (Nov. 18-19) at Las Positas College in Livermore.
Riverside (29-3), the No. 2 seed from the south, jumped out to a 6-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 9-5 state semifinal win over North No. 1-seeded San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC) Mustangs (25-6 overall) on Friday, Nov. 18.
Earlier in the day, South No. 1-seeded Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Vaqueros (33-1 overall) defeated the North No. 2-seeded Sierra College Wolverines (22-7 overall), 17-7, to reach the state championship game in its first appearance in the tournament.
Riverside City will face Santa Barbara City on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 12:30 p.m.
Against SJDC, sophomore two-meter offense player Emily Martin (Yucaipa / Yucaipa HS '15) -- who is pictured -- powered home four goals to pace Riverside. Frosh attacker Josceline Godinez (Menifee / Vista Murrieta HS '16) added two goals for RCC. Sophomore goalkeeper Ariana Olmos (Redlands / Redlands East Valley HS '15) had seven saves.
Friday's losers will meet in a third-place game on Saturday at 9:30 a.m
***
This weekend's appearance in the CCCAA Championships is Riverside's fourth consecutive, 12th in the last 13 seasons (except for 2012) and 18th in the 20 years that the RCC women's water polo program has existed (since 1997). Riverside has won the state championship four times (2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011), has been runner-up six times (1999, 2001, 2006, 2013, 2014 and 2015) 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. San Joaquin Delta is making its third appearance (finished eighth in 2002 and third in 2015), Sierra is making its 14th appearances and has finished as high as third three times. San Joaquin Delta is making its second appearance and finished eighth in 2002. Santa Barbara City is making its first appearance at the CCCAA Women's Water Polo Championships.
Fourth-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 109-18 heading into this week's CCCAA Championships. He has three CCCAA runner-up finishes: in 2013 (28-5 overall), 2014 (27-6 overall) and 2015 (26-4 overall).
RCC sandwiched a pair of victories around a loss to regional champion Santa Barbara in its three regional championship games as the SoCals were hosted by Golden West College in Huntington Beach last weekend (Nov. 10-12).
-30-