A Sinking Ship
Bunker King | Staff Writer
Men’s water polo loses both games at home tournament.
The Corsairs men’s water polo team experienced steep losses against the Citrus College Owls and Cuesta College Cougars on Thursday at Santa Monica Swim Center. The final scores were 6-15 and 4-17, respectively.
The SMC players were outclassed in terms of shooting power and defensive prowess in both games. As hard as the Corsairs played, they simply couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming physicality of either opposing team.
The first game of the day was against the Owls. It started out competitive. The Corsairs held their own and kept the score fairly close early in the game. However, as it progressed, especially in the second half, it became clear that the Corsairs were going to be left behind, and that’s exactly what happened.
The Corsairs struggled with penalty calls, even giving up a rare five-meter free shot. They found themselves in 5 on 6 situations constantly, leading to a final score of Corsairs 6 to Owls 15.
In the second game, against the Cougars, the difference in skill and physical ability became even more clear. The Corsairs had nearly two-and-a-half hours to rest between games, but the visiting team had only about fifteen minutes before their second game of the day.
The Cougars fired the ball like rockets, with even their alternates swimming circles around the Corsairs. When the water settled, the score was 17-4, with the Corsairs holding a 0-2 record for the day.
The next home games are on Friday, Oct. 13, against Southwestern College and Paloma College.
