Santa Barbara City College women’s water polo went a perfect 4-0 over the weekend at the Riverside City College Tournament, defeating Citrus, Orange Coast, Riverside and Golden West.

“We worked through some adversity and moments of great connection along with some areas for growth,” head coach Chuckie Roth said. “We have definitely grown from last week.”

SBCC 12, Citrus 8

The Vaqueros came out firing in the first game of the weekend, scoring six goals in the first quarter and cruising to the 12-8 win after that.

They were led offensively by Esther Sullivan’s three goals while Gabrielle Muehring and Claire Daland each tallied three steals on the defensive end.

SBCC 11, Orange Coast 5

The second game was a bit different, as the Vaqueros were down 4-2 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 6-5 at both halftime and at the end of the third quarter.

However, an offensive surge hit SBCC late as the Vaqueros scored five goals in the final quarter while goalie Kate Densmore shut down Orange Coast en route to the win.

Caroline Oats and Addie Lane each had two goals in the fourth quarter. Lane ended with four goals and four steals in the matchup.

Claire Daland also had a standout performance with two goals and four steals while Lily Carrick collected five steals.

“We had a great day,” Roth said of the day-one performance. “The team really stepped up with a lot of depth. Cate Daland had a big goal [at the start of the fourth quarter against Orange Coast], showing improvement in each contest.”

SBCC 11, Riverside 10

The first game of the second day of action was a nail-biter, despite the Vaqueros holding the lead for the entirety of the matchup. SBCC never held a lead higher than three goals.

Lane clinched the win with a goal in the fourth quarter to end any thought of a Riverside comeback. She had three goals once again to go along with two steals and two assists.

 Claire and Cate Daland once again were impact players, scoring two goals apiece.

“We are much better defensively [than last week],” Roth said. “Leading the foundation on defense is Claire Daland. She is a great center defender who did a great job on Riverside’s leading scorer and center.”

SBCC 16, Golden West 7

The Vaqueros dominated the final game of the weekend against Golden West, winning each of the four quarters.

“Freshman Maddie Myers is improving every day,” Roth said. “She connected with Lane for a very impressive 6/5 goal in the Golden West game and went on to score three goals in the contest. Lily Carrick also played two stellar games with over five crucial steals and three goals.”

Against Golden West, Carrick had three goals, two assists, two steals and three exclusions drawn.

Natalie Mancinelli also had two goals of her own and Sofia Paez led the way with four steals.

In the goal, Densmore accumulated 29 saves on the weekend, including 10 against Riverside and 12 against Golden West.

The Vaqueros are now 8-0 to start the season.

“Our girls are doing a great job playing as a team. No one cares who gets the credit as long as the job gets done,” Roth said.

SBCC will compete in the 2023 Mountie Classic at Mt. San Antonio College this weekend.