The Mesa College men’s water polo team dropped both games on Friday at the Cerritos Mini Tournament. Mesa fell to Cerritos College 14-5 in the first game and was then edged 11-10 by Rio Hondo College.

"Cerritos College is a really good shooting team. Our defensive goal was to limit exclusions and goals from a counter attack. We had some moments of playing great team defense but then would struggle to execute on offense,” states head coach Nathan Resch. 

Freshman Castor Kline (Steele Canyon HS) had his first two starts playing in goal and played well, saving 8 shots. 

The second game of the tournament paired the Olympians against Rio Hondo College. After falling behind 4 goals through 3 quarters, Mesa clawed back and took a 1 point lead early in the final quarter. 

“We have played 8 games in a span of a week and fatigue was an issue today,” explains Resch. “We were exchanging goals throughout the game and we just could not finish.” 

With :31 seconds left on the clock, Rio Hondo was able to find the back of the net defeating Mesa 11 – 10. 

The Olympians are back in the pool against Miramar College on Wednesday, September 3. Game starts at 3:30 p.m.