Men’s Water Polo Edges Santa Monica in Season Opener

SANTA MONICA, Calif. --- The El Camino College men's water polo squad returned to the pool on Saturday morning with a 14-13 road victory against Santa Monica at the SMC Pool.

The Warriors (1-0) got seven goals from sophomore Cole Allyn to lead the charge and freshman goalies Gary Bellingham (seven) and Dillon Nuñez (two) combined for nine saves in the win. Parris Ruth had a goal and four assists while Bellingham added three helpers of his own.

The match opened with a flood of goals from the Warriors, who took an 8-1 lead over the Corsairs after one period. Allyn scored four of his goals in the period as ECC looked like it was going to cruise to an easy victory.

But the Corsairs responded in the second period, outscoring the Warriors 6-1 to trim the deficit to two goals by halftime. The Corsairs scored five unanswered goals in the frame to turn a 9-2 Warriors lead into a 9-7 mark at the break.

In the second half, the Warriors saw their lead get trimmed to one goal with 25 seconds left in the period but they would not allow the Corsairs to get any closer than that, eventually scoring the victory.

The Warriors will return to action on Wednesday when they take on Citrus on the road. The match is set for a 3 p.m. start.