Bobcats advance to regional semis

The Saddleback men's water polo team advanced to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Semifinals with an 8-7 win over Los Angeles Valley College on Friday at Long Beach City College.  The Bobcats will now face Golden West College on Saturday. 

Saddleback had played Los Angeles Valley twice this season, splitting games against the Monarchs earlier in the season.  Friday was not only a tiebreaker opportunity, but more importantly an opportunity to reach the regional semifinals. 

Saddleback made the best of the situation, defeating Los Angeles Valley 8-7 to earn a spot in the semifinals for a second straight season.  The Bobcats trailed 2-1 late in the opening quarter before going on a run to take a big lead.  Saddleback scored seven straight goals, holding the Monarchs scoreless for close to 19 minutes.  When all was said and done, the Bobcats had an 8-2 lead early in the fourth quarter before Los Angeles Valley made a big comeback to make things close.  Saddleback held on in the final seconds after the Monarchs closed to within one with 1:37 remaining on the clock.

Carson Williams had a nice day for Saddleback, leading the team with four goals in the game.  Callen Viter played the entire game in goal to improve to 16-7 on the season.

Saddleback is now 21-7 overall on the season, which is the eighth most wins in a single-season for the program.  The Bobcats will take top-seeded Golden West College tomorrow at 11:00 AM.  A win would put the Bobcats into the state tournament and land the team in the regional finals later in the afternoon.