Women's water polo opened the 2022 season at home with a loss against Golden West, 11-7.  The visiting Rustlers, owners of a CCCAA-leading eight State Championships in their history, trailed the Cougars, 5-3, at the intermission and had to rally in the second half to pull out the victory.  The Cougars have played only a dozen full games since their playoff loss at the end of the 2019 season and new Head Coach Rachel Gruetzmacher has had only nine days of practice with her new charges. The team's hot first half was an impressive start to the season, as Cuesta relied on returners Anna Kreowski and Chloe Porter to power the offense.  The duo has combined to score 40 goals over their, now, eight-game Cuesta tenure, including five goals today.  Fellow Returner Ryan Rascon and Newcomer Makayla Hermesch each netted a goal to complete Cuesta's scoring, while Freshman Goaltender Hanna Bonham enjoyed a strong debut with nine saves in the nets.  It should be noted that Gruetzmacher, the program's third head coach, is the second Cuesta coach to open their career with a loss to the Rustlers.  In 1999, the Cougars dropped the first game in program history to the then defending CCCAA State Champion Golden West, 14-5.  That team rebounded from that initial setback to reach the playoffs and the program blossomed into the winningest women's sport on campus since the turn of the millennium.  

The Cougars continue their re-birth under Coach Gruetzmacher with Cuesta's Central Coast Classic this Friday and Saturday.  The Cuesta Poloists are hosting the two-day, 10-team event for the 23rd year and will play two games a day.  Tomorrow they face Diablo Valley (1:25) and Western State Conference rival Santa Monica (5:45), while facing 2021 Playoff team Merced (7 AM) and Modesto (3:40) on Saturday.