The Cerritos College men’s water polo team continued its winning streak on Oct. 2 defeating Merced College by a score of 23-7.
“Everybody being on the same page and executing our game plan was key to our success,” Ruben Martinez said. “We knew we could press them out, and once we did, we started to dominate.”
The Falcons improved to 10-6 on the season and have won five consecutive games with standout performances from Isaiah Wright and Jaylen Wade who each scored four goals.
The team dominated early building an 8-1 lead by the end of the first period and maintaining control throughout the game.
Cerritos College goalie Aiden Parra said his team’s win was a result of hard work and a strong team mentality.
“I try to stay focused and hyped up, both mentally and physically,” Parra said. “I listen to music, think about what I need to do for my team and make sure I’m physically prepared.”
Parra’s coach motivates the team by emphasizing the importance of hard work and dedication.
“He tells us that winning is a result of our labor,” Parra said.
“Our six-on-five passing was really good today,” Cerritos utility player Christian Acosta said, “We were able to counter everything and our outlet passes helped us a lot.”
“We had a good focus,” Cerritos head coach Joe Abing said. “I was concerned that we might take them lightly, but we came out really aggressive and focused, and I was pleased with the outcome.”
Abing pointed to the team’s strong defensive play in the first quarter as a critical moment in the game.
“We got a lot of steals in the beginning, which set the tone and helped us take control of the game with our defense,” he said.
Max Lucero stood out for his strong defensive play with Abing praising his ability to always know where the ball was and his energy on the fast break.
The team would like to build on this momentum in its next games with Abing emphasizing the importance of balancing schoolwork and team responsibilities.
“if they can make sure they balance everything outside of their responsibilities with the team I think they can maintain that focus when we are together,” he said.
“We need to pick it up and keep pushing each other,” Martinez said. “We’re going to face harder opponents, so we can’t just coast on easy games.”
Acosta noted that communication is an area for improvement.
Cerritos will host a mini-tournament Oct. 3 featuring Southwestern College and San Diego Mesa College and look to extend its winning streak against strong opponents.
