Riverside Wins SoCal's and Advances to the State Championships

WALNUT -- Taking care of business by winning the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California (SoCal) Regional Tournament, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's water polo team has punched its collective ticket to this week's CCCAA Championship Tournament.

Riverside (25-3), the No. 1 seed from the south will face North No. 2-seeded San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC) Mustangs (23-6 overall) on Friday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. The CCCAA Championship Tournament is being hosted by Pasadena City College (PCC). Earlier that day, the North No. 1-seeded the Diablo Valley College (DVC) Vikings (25-2 overall) will meet the South No. 2-seeded San Diego Mesa College (SDMC) Olympians (26-3 overall) at 12 p.m.

On Saturday, Nov. 21, Friday's losers will meet in a third-place game at 11 a.m. before Friday's winners meet for the state championship at 2 p.m.

Friday's appearance in the CCCAA Championships will be Riverside's third consecutive and 11th in the last 12 seasons (except for 2012) and 13th. Riverside has won the state championship four times (2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011), has been runner-up five times (1999, 2001, 2006, 2013, and 2014) and has placed third on four occasions (2000, tie-2004, 2008, 2009) since the women's water polo state championships were initiated with the 1996 campaign.

Among the other three semifinalists, none has won a state championship. Diablo Valley is making its ninth appearance and has finished as high as third four times (tie in 2004, tie in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2014). San Joaquin Delta is making its second appearance and finished eighth in 2002. San Diego Mesa is making its first appearance at the CCCAA Women's Water Polo Championships.

Third-year RCC head women's water polo coach Doug Finfrock (UC Irvine '03), who is pictured in the middle, was a goaltender for RCC men's water polo in 1999 & 2000. He was a first team all-Orange Empire Conference (OEC) selection and second team all-America honoree in 1999. In 2000, he was a first team all-OEC pick, first team all-Southern California selection, and garnered first team all-America kudos. 

Finfrock brings an overall record of 80-14 heading into this week's CCCAA Championships. He has two CCCAA runner-up finishes: in 2013 (28-5 overall) and 2014 (27-6 overall).

RCC won all three of its regional championship games as the SoCals were hosted by Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut last weekend (Nov. 12-14).

The Tigers opened against Orange Empire Conference (OEC) rival Orange Coast College (OCC) last Friday (Nov. 13) and posted a solid 11-6 win over the No. 8-seeded Pirates.

On Saturday (Nov. 14), RCC faced another OEC rival, the No. 4-seeded Golden West College (GWC) Rustlers in a regional semifinal game and came away with a 12-11 triple overtime sudden death win. That victory put RCC into the SoCal Championship final where it defeated SDMC, 9-5, last Saturday (Nov. 14).

In the win over the Olympians, RCC led, 3-1, after the first quarter, 5-4 at halftime, and 7-4 at the end of the third quarter.

RCC frosh attacker Citlali Salazar (Eastvale / Eleanor Roosevelt HS '15) led the Tigers with three goals, one assist and one steal. Frosh two-meter offensive player Emily Martin(Yucaipa / Yucaipa HS '15) added two goals and sophomore attacker Kelley Geurts (Murrieta / Murrieta Valley HS '14) chipped in with two goals and one steal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Chang (Laie, Oahu, HI / Kahuku HS '13) went the distance and logged 12 saves against SDMC.

Against GWC, the Tigers led, 2-1, at the end of the first quarter, 5-4 at halftime and 6-5 heading into the fourth quarter before the Rustlers rallied to tie it at 8-8 at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. In the extra sessions, RCC led, 10-9, after the first OT, before GWC tied the game at 11-11 to send the game into sudden death.

In the win over GWC, Martin led with five goals and one steal, Salazar added one goal, two assists and five steals, and frosh two-meter offensive player Jacqueline Godinez(Menifee / Vista Murrieta HS '15) chipped in with two goals and three assists. Chang had 17 saves.