VENTURA, Calif. – The No. 3 Santa Barbara City College Women’s Water Polo team (16-2, 4-0) ended September with a 14-3 win at Ventura (5-6, 1-1) on Wednesday afternoon. The Vaqueros—on an eight-game overall winning streak—stay undefeated in conference play and improve to 22-0 all-time over Ventura.
“They’re buying in and they’re learning, and it’s fun,” Head Coach Chuckie Roth said of the team’s progress.
Even with 17 players getting time in the pool, and oftentimes six substitutions at once, the Vaqueros’ team defense was so well-structured that they only conceded three goals.
Goalie Ava Barclay made seven saves, and Santa Barbara had 16 steals as a team. May Guidoux (four steals), Luciana Grooms (three), and Sienna Barelli (three) led the effort.
“We do a really good job on ball pressure. They’re learning our systems really well so they can operate well as a team,” Roth continued. “Even if the other team has a good opportunity, we have someone in a different spot who should be doing something to make it difficult to score.”
It also helps to score, yourself. Guidoux found the back of the cage on the first possession of the game, and it was 3-0 halfway through the first quarter.
All of the Vaqueros’ first six goals were scored by different players until Guidoux scored her second and third on either side of halftime, and Larsen Jensen did the same shortly after. It was 10-2 going into the final frame as the Vaqueros shut out Ventura in the third quarter.
Ultimately, 11 different players scored or assisted in the 14-3 victory. Tessa Hidalgo led the team with two goals and two assists. Guidoux and Jensen each scored three goals, while Sophie McGehee had two goals and an assist.
“We don’t have a bunch of individuals out there, we have women playing as a unit,” Roth said.
The Vaqueros will enjoy some time off before a busy weekend of Oct. 9 and 10 ending with Saturday’s Ventura Tournament back at the Ventura Aquatic Center.