W. Water Polo: Missed scoring chances contribute to conference loss

Clairissa Nuno made 12 saves for the Falcons against El Camino
Clairissa Nuno made 12 saves for the Falcons against El Camino

It never fails that with every water polo match, there are several instances where shots hit the frame of the goal that prevents a team from scoring. For the Cerritos College women's water polo team, they had five of their shots either deflect off the frame or hit the inside edge of the goalpost and just miss going completely into the net. The end result on Wednesday was a 13-6 South Coast Conference loss to visiting El Camino College. The Falcons (3-7, 1-2) will travel to East Los Angeles College next Wednesday for a 4:30 p.m. match.

One player that had four of her shots roll through the goal line but not go in was freshman Jewels Longoria-Morasky (La Serna HS). The state's third-leading goal-scorer was limited to four goals on 16 shots, but could easily have had twice as many if not for the goal frame.

El Camino, who led 4-2 after the first period, kept the Falcons off the scoreboard in the second period. The end result was a 7-2 deficit at intermission. Goals by sophomore Jubilee Gil (Paramount HS) and Longoria-Morasky in the third period drew the team to within 7-4, while it was an 8-5 game early in the fourth period after Longoria-Morasky scored on the team's first possession. However, the Warriors were able tro score four of the final five goals of the game.

Along with her four goals, Longoria-Moasky also drew four exclusions, while freshman Delainey Garcia (California HS) assisted on a pair of goals. Freshman goalkeeper Clairissa Nuno (Cerritos HS) made a season-high 12 saves in the match and is currently eighth in the state with 99 stops on the year.

The El Camino team also included Melissa Cedarholm, who was a member of the 2009 Cerritos team that went 29-2 on the year and saw time as a back-up goalkeeper and field player. She scored a pair of goal for the Warriors on the day.

Photos by Daryl Peterson