W. Water Polo: Last-second goal leads Falcons to 9-8 win

File Photo: Delainey Garcia and the Falcons won on a last-second goal against Palomar
File Photo: Delainey Garcia and the Falcons won on a last-second goal against Palomar

On the second day of the Battle at the Beach Tournament, the Cerritos College women's water polo team was able to pull off a late rally and earned a 9-8 win over Palomar College. The Falcons (6-12), who opened the day with a 14-9 loss at the hands of San Joaquin Delta College, scored the game-winning goal against Palomar with nine seconds left in the game. The team will host Long Beach City College in a South Coast Conference match at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

In the win over the Comets, the match was tied at 4-4 after the first period, while their defense kept them off the scoreboard in the second period. The Falcons countered with a pair of goals from freshman scoring sensation Jewels Longoria-Morasky (La Serna HS), who accounted for eight of the team's goals.

Trailing, 8-7 after Palomar posted four straight goals, Longoria-Morasky tied the game with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter. After the defense turned away with Comets on their next two possessions, which included a big save from freshman goalkeeper Clairissa Nuno (Cerritos HS), Cerritos scored the game-winning goal when freshman Delainey Garcia (California HS) fed freshman Camila Oliveira (Cerritos HS) for the game-winning goal.

Along with her eight goals, Longoria-Morasky drew five exclusions, which led to a pair of goals, while Garcia assisted on three goals. Nuno registered a team-high 17 saves in the win.

Longoria-Morasky registered six of the Falcons goals in the loss to San Joaquin Delta, as the team trailed 5-2 after the first period and 8-3 at intermission. Oliveira chipped in with two goals, three assists and three steals, with Nuno making 10 saves and also had three steals.