Attacker Katie Juarez racked up 12 goals in LBCC women’s water polo 23-1 win against El Camino 23-1.
With this victory, LBCC advanced to the South Coast Conference (SCC) championship game.
From the start, LBCC came out the gates strong, with attacker Olivia Slavens scoring the team’s first goal within the first 12 seconds of the game.
LBCC continued their onslaught, as Slavens, Juarez, and center Emily Moldendyk scored a combined eight goals at the end of the first quarter.
As the second quarter came around, it was all gas and no brakes for LBCC as Juarez scored fiive out of their next six goals, helping them finish the half with a 16-1 lead.
“Every game we play we like to bring a lot of energy, and today we were able to do that,” said Juarez.
Head coach Chris Oeding gives a talk to the players during a timeout taken. The Vikings would take down El Camino 23-1 on Nov. 3 and ended up winning the SCC Championships during the weekend. (Ian Salazar)
As the second half kicked off, LBCC kept their foot on the gas pedal as they continued to pick apart El Camino.
LBCC continued to swim past ECC and score, and their defense was even better as they didn’t allow El Camino to score a single point in the second half.
The game ended with a 23-1 blowout victory for LBCC as they made a huge statement heading into their championship game.
Even though this game was completely one-sided, LBCC showed tremendous sportsmanship, and according to LBCC utility player Kaylee Vanasopha, their head coach Chris Oeding plays a key role in teaching that to his team.
“We definitely like to be in a good state of mind (during the game.) Chris (Odeing) makes us play hard, it’s not always about winning, but he teaches us to be humble,” Vanasopha said.
LBCC won the SCC championship game 19-3 against Mt. SAC on Nov. 4, securing first place in the conference.