Men’s water polo red hot

The Saddleback men's water polo team is off to its best start in years and went a perfect 4-0 over the weekend in the Saddleback Invitational.  The Gauchos now stand at 10-2 on the season.

Saddleback entered the tournament on a roll and it continued with wins over San Diego Miramar, Santa Monica, Ventura and Modesto. 

The Gauchos streaked past Miramar 15-6 as they raced to an 8-0 lead in the opening period before taking their foot off the gas pedal.  Max Gonter finished with a team-high five goals in the game.

Game two was much closer as Saddleback and Santa Monica were tied 4-4 at halftime before the Gauchos made a move.  Saddleback scored five times in the third period, with Austin Warren connecting three times.  Santa Monica closed the gap to 9-8 at the beginning of the fourth period before Spencer Perkins, Daniel Noble and Kyle Knaak all scored for a 12-9 win.

Saturday saw Saddleback taking on Ventura in the opening game…a program that entered the game at 13-8 overall on the season.  The Gauchos came out of the gate quickly, leading 7-4 at the half.  Saddleback extended the lead to 9-4 on a goal from Kai Duty with 2:07 remaining in the third.  The Gauchos again held a five-goal lead in the fourth period after Gonter netted his third goal of the game in an 11-9 win over the Pirates.

The final game on Saturday saw Saddleback facing Modesto Junior College from the northern half of the state.  The Pirates were no match for the Gauchos as Saddleback held a 7-3 lead at the half on way to an 11-5 victory. 

Saddleback's 10-2 start is believed to be the best start in program history.  The Gauchos will host Golden West College on Wednesday in Orange Empire Conference play at 4:00 PM.  The Rustlers are 9-0 and a perennial power in the California community college ranks, winning five of the last eight state titles and 24 state titles since 1976.