SBCC recorded two victories on Friday on the first day of the Riverside College women's water polo tournament. The Vaqueros (5-0) beat San Joaquin Delta 10-6 and Long Beach 13-8.
Emma Fraser, a sophomore utility from Victoria, BC, Canada, scored nine goals in two games for the Vaqueros, who've won 17 straight games and 37 of the last 40. Santa Barbara has 70 goals and ranks fifth in the state with a 14.0 average.
SBCC 10, San Joaquin Delta 6: Fraser, one of four returning All-Americans from last year's State championship squad, scored three first-half goals as the Vaqueros took a 4-3 halftime lead in a rematch of last year's state semifinal. Fraser finished with four goals, two assists and four steals. Sarah Parson and Kemi Dijkstra added two goals apiece while Meagan Mckillican had a goal and six steals. The Vaqueros were whistled for 15 ejections and Delta had nine. Sophomore GK Nicole Poulos made five saves, boosting her record to 3-0.
SBCC 13, Long Beach 8: Fraser scored a season-high five goals and added two assists for the Vaqueros, who tallied five unanswered scores to take 6-2 first-half lead. The Vikings got within two at 7-5 and 9-7, then Dijkstra reeled off three straight goals in the fourth period, stretching the lead to 12-7. Dijkstra had three goals and Parson scored two. Alyssa Russell-Sadoff drew five ejections for the Vaqueros, who were 7-13 on power plays. Melisa Walk played the first two quarters in goal and made three saves to improve to 2-0.
"We had a good day with two wins," said coach Chuckie Roth. "Nicole Poulos played amazing in the goal. Emma Fraser was our leading scorer and Kemi Dijkstra played a very good game. However we still have a lot to work on."
The Vaqueros will take on their arch-rival Riverside on Saturday at 7:45 a.m. They'll finish up play in the Riverside Tournament vs. Cerritos at 12:05 p.m.
Riverside and Santa Barbara have won the last two CCCAA state championships. The Vaqueros are 3-4 vs. the Tigers in the last two seasons and have beaten them twice in the Southern Cal Regional Finals.
