Vaquero defense shines in Regional opener, 9-5

SBCC got defensive in its first Southern Cal Regional women's water polo appearance on Thursday and came away with a 9-5 upset win over No. 7 seed Long Beach at Citrus College.

The 10th-seeded Vaqueros, fresh off their first WSC Championship, held the Vikings (20-11) to three goals in the first three quarters while building a 7-3 lead.

Rocio Fesembeck scored six goals to help SBCC (17-12) win its fourth in a row. The Vaqueros have won 11 of the last 13 games. Fesembeck boosted her season total to 110 goals.

Kaitlyn Wentz Fitzgerald scored the other three goals. AJ Gravatt had four steals and Autumn Lovett made three. Goalie Alex Brown had 11 saves and three steals.

The third time was the charm for the Vaqueros, who dropped their first two meetings to Long Beach.

"Rocio played very well and Paula Tkach was a solid defender," said coach Chuckie Roth. "Kaitlyn Fitzgerald was commanding in the 2-meter position. As the game went on, our defense really improved.

"It was a true testament to our improvement this season."

SBCC will take on No. 2 Riverside (24-4) in a quarterfinal game on Friday at 11:30 a.m.

SBCC ……….…..... 3   2   2   2  --  9
Long Beach …….. 2   1   0   2  --  5
 Goals – SB: Fesembeck 6, Wentz Fitzgerald 3. LB: Forsch 3, Alanis, Lynch. Goalie saves--SB: Brown 11. LB: Collier 8.