Tigers Gain Split at Cuesta Tournament; Improve to 7-3 Overall

SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Splitting four games over last Friday and Saturday (Sept. 18-19) at the Cuesta College Invitational Tournament, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's water polo team will next turn its collective attention toward the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) schedule, which begins this week.

RCC (7-3 overall) opened last Friday's action with a 16-14 win over the West Valley College (WVC) Vikings, before losing, 17-11, to the Diablo Valley College (DVC) Vikings. On Saturday, RCC lost, 15-11, to the Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) Monarchs, before gaining a split on the day and weekend with a 16-5 win over the American River College (ARC) Beavers.

In the win over WVC, freshman driver Lazar Raca (Belgrade, SERBIA) led the Tigers with three goals and sophomore utility player Justin Rohn (San Bernardino / San Gorgonio HS '14) -- who is pictured -- had four steals. Freshman goalie Blake Vazmendes (Yucaipa / Yucaipa '15) had one save.

In the loss to LAVC, Raca had four goals and one assist, Rohn had two goals and one assist and drew opponent ejections four times. Goalie Vazmendes had five saves.

RCC head coach Jason Northcott (CS San Bernardino '09) is in his third year at the Tigers' helm. Northcott has an overall won-lost record of 17-26 for the two previous seasons. Riverside was 8-18 overall in 2014 and, thus at 7-3 currently, it is only one win shy of matching last season's victory total.

Riverside will open OEC action on Wednesday, Sept. 23, when it visits the defending state champion Golden West College Rustlers in a game beginning 4 p.m.

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