Cats just short in quarters

The Saddleback women's water polo team saw its season come to an end with a 13-9 loss against West Valley College at the 3C2A State Tournament on Thursday at Long Beach City College.  The Bobcats and Vikings were even until the fourth quarter before West Valley pulled out the win.

Saddleback came into the matchup as heavy underdogs as West Valley was the top seed from the Northern California region and Saddleback was the No. 4 seed from the southern region.   The Bobcats didn't let the press clippings intimidate them, playing stride-for-stride with the Vikings until the bitter end.

Saddleback jumped out to a 3-1 lead to start the game and led 4-3 at the end of the first quarter.  The game remained tight through three quarters as Holliss Munchoff scored in the final minute of the third quarter to tie the score at 9-9 with eight minutes remaining.

Unfortunately, West Valley then held the Bobcats scoreless over the final eight minutes of play while scoring four times to grab a 13-9 win.

Munchoff (picturted) finished with a team-high four goals for the game.  She finishes the season with 141 goals, which is currently No. 1 in the state with a few more games remaining for other players at the state tournament. 

Saddleback finishes the season 20-14 overall.  The appearance at the state tournament was the second straight appearance after a 26-year absence.