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If the
Cerritos
College
women's
water
polo
team
misses
out on
advancing
to the
state
championships
this
year,
they can
look
back on
several
opportunities
they
didn't
cash in
on in
their
8-7 loss
to Long
Beach
City
College
during
their
semi-final
game of
the
Southern
California
Regional
Playoffs
on
Saturday
afternoon
at
Golden
West
College.
Not only
did the
loss
snap the
team's
school-record
22-game
winning
streak,
it
dropped
them
into a
must-win
situation
in the
third
place
game at
6:00
p.m.
against
Fullerton
College.
The
Falcons
(27-3)
defeated
the
Hornets,
16-6 in
the
final
game of
the
Citrus
Tournament
a month
ago in
their
only
meeting.
The top
three
teams
advance
to the
state
championships
next
Thursday
through
Saturday
at
Merced
College,
so the
winner
of the
third
place
game
advances,
while
the
loser
sees
their
season
come to
an end.
"If we
can come
back and
beat
Fullerton,
then
what
just
happened
here
(the
loss to
Long
Beach
City)
didn't
happen,"
said
head
coach
Sergio
Macias,
who is
looking
to
advance
his team
to the
state
championship
for the
first
time in
the
program's
history.
"We are
backed
into a
corner
for the
first time
this
year, so
we're
going to
see how
they
handle
adversity.
I was
pleased
with the
way we
played,
but we
missed
out on
some
chances
that
hurt
us."
With the
game
tied at
5-5
heading
into the
fourth
quarter,
the
Vikings
scored
twice in
a row,
with the
first
being on
a
rebound
during a
6-on-5
advantage.
Falcon
goalkeeper
Miranda
Bakke
(Gahr
HS)
made the
initial
save,
but
Kimmy
Morrison
was
there
for the
rebound
goal.
Down
7-5,
sophomore
Natalie
Peng
(Cerritos
HS)
was
right in
front of
the net,
but was
stopped
by LBCC
goalkeeper
Chelsea
Datt.
However,
sophomore
Stephanie
Rosero
(Downey
HS)
followed
by
scoring
from
mid-pool
to get
the
Falcons
to
within
7-6.
Freshman
Adriana
Rodriguez
(El
Rancho
HS)
tied the
game at
7-7 on a
6-on-5
with
2:07
remaining
in
regulation.
Long
Beach
would
score
the
eventual
game-winner
on their
third
man-advantage
goal,
this one
by
Adrienne
Taylor
with
1:31
remaining.
A
Cerritos
turnover
(they
had 15
in the
game)
prevented
the team
from a
shot at
tying
the game
and the
Vikings
ran out
the shot
clock,
leaving
Cerritos
just
seven
seconds
on the
clock.
The
Falcons,
taking
the ball
at
mid-pool,
didn't
even get
off a
shot and
they
suffered
the
loss.
Both
teams
were
fighting
off the
nerves
in the
first
period,
as each
squad
missed
on their
first
five
shots,
including
both
missing
out on a
6-on-5
advantage.
The
Falcons
went up
2-0 on
goals by
sophomore
Yvonne
Ruvalcaba
(Montebello
HS)
and
Rosero,
with
Long
Beach
scoring
with
just 17
seconds
left in
the
quarter
to get
to
within
2-1. It
was the
same in
the
second,
as the
Cerritos
saw
their
3-2 lead
become a
3-3 tie
when
Morrison
scored
with
eight
seconds
before
halftime.
In the
game,
Rosero
led the
team
with
three
goals
and
three
assists,
while
four
others
had one
goal.
Ruvalcaba
posted
three
steals,
with
Bakke
making
six
saves in
the
game.
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