No. 3 seeded Fullerton College (21-8, 7-2) came ready to play Saturday afternoon as they took down the defending OEC champs and No. 1 seeded Riverside City College (26-2, 7-1) 9 to 8 to be crowned 2016 champions.
The Hornets Gabbi Perez was the driving force as she accounted for six of the teams nine goals. Fullerton took an early 2-0 lead before Riverside scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second quarter. The defenses tightened up in the second quarter as both teams were held scoreless.
The second half was the Perez show for the Hornets as she came out of halftime and scored the first three goals of the third quarter. Riverside would respond and at the end of the third quarter it would be a 6-6 tie. Perez would net two more goals in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory for Fullerton 9-8.
#2 Golden West College would defeat #4 Orange Coast College 9-2 for third place.
#5 Saddleback would defeat #6 Cypress College 12-4 for fifth place.
Final OEC Standings:
1. Fullerton
2. Riverside
3. Golden West
4. Orange Coast
5. Saddleback
6. Cypress
SoCal Championships are held at Golden West College Thursday, November 10 through Saturday, November 12, 2016.