Rustlers Finish Third at OEC Championships

COSTA MESA, Calif. — The No. 8 ranked Golden West College women's water polo team capped off a strong postseason run with a third-place finish at the Orange Empire Conference Championships, defeating Saddleback College 14–10 on Saturday afternoon at Orange Coast College.

Entering the tournament as the fifth seed, the Rustlers (18–10, 5–3 OEC) opened with a dominant 14–6 victory over No. 4 Fullerton College in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Orange Coast College 14–6 in Friday's semifinals. Golden West bounced back with one of its most complete performances of the season to secure the third-place trophy.

Golden West came out strong in the third-place match, building an early lead and never looking back. Sophomore Catherine Le led the way with five goals, while freshmen Emily Cislo and Mimi Versegi each scored two goals apiece in the first half to help the Rustlers take a 7–4 lead at the break.

Golden West exploded for five goals in the third quarter, sparked by Hanna Menyhart, who netted three goals in the second half, and Versegi, who added two more to put the game out of reach. Freshman Sienna Abernathy and Cislo each chipped in with timely goals as Golden West controlled possession and outpaced the Gauchos in transition.

Defensively, goalkeeper Camryn Adams anchored the cage, holding Saddleback to just two goals in each of the first three quarters before finishing with 10 saves on the afternoon.

Le finished with a team-high five goals, followed by Menyhart and Versegi with three each, while Cislo added two. Abernathy rounded out the scoring with one.

The Rustlers will head to the SoCal Regional Championships as the 5th seed and will take on the 12th seeded San Diego Miramar College Jets at 1:45pm on Thursday, November 13 hosted by Southwestern College.