Rustlers Win Regional, Sights Set on State Championship

CHULA VISTA, Calif. – The top-ranked Golden West College men's water polo team continued its postseason dominance on Saturday afternoon, defeating Orange Coast College 14–8 to capture the 2025 3C2A SoCal Regional Championship at Southwestern College. With the victory, the Rustlers (34–2) advance to the 3C2A State Championships, where they will open against Modesto College on Thursday, November 20 at 1 p.m. The championship event will be hosted by Merced College.

Golden West set the tone early behind a strong opening period. After building a 3–0 advantage with goals from Ryder Tonkovich, Jack Wright, and Michael Rodgers, the Rustlers closed the first quarter locked at 3–3. GWC responded with poise in the second quarter, adding goals from Wright and Wemmer Van Beukering to take a 5–4 advantage into halftime.

The third quarter proved to be the difference, as the Rustlers erupted for six goals while holding the Pirates to three. Van Der Woude, Tonkovich, Rodgers, Mano Molnar, and Wright all found the back of the cage during the dominant stretch. Golden West carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, adding three more goals—including key finishes from Rodgers, Van Der Woude, and Tonkovich—to secure the regional crown.

Rodgers led all scorers with four goals, followed by Tonkovich and Wright with three each, and Van Der Woude with two. Molnar and Van Beukering each added one goal to round out the balanced offensive effort. Wright orchestrated the attack with a team-high four assists, while Joao Goncalves contributed four assists and a steal.

Goalkeeper Boston Frost was outstanding in the cage, recording 16 saves while anchoring a defense that held OCC to just one goal in the final frame.