On Wednesday Oct. 3, in the midst of a Northern California Indian summer, the Diablo Valley College water polo program scored a pair of decisive wins over the Modesto Pirates.
The women shut down the opposition with overpowering defense that led to a lopsided victory for the Vikings, with a final score of 10-3.
The men fought hard in the second half of the double-header, a much more competitive contest, ending the day with a 10-6 victory.
“(The team) took control early,” women’s water polo coach Zach Roberts noted after the game. “We’re starting to play together well at the right time of the season.” Roberts went on, citing team defense as the most critical component in the win. Roberts went on to cite the team defense as the most critical component in the win, crediting the rest of the coaching staff for rigorous leg conditioning which he believed gave their defense the edge.
That “push” from busy legs under the water was evident when Modesto entered the fourth quarter, facing a shutout loss. Players Nadeen Nassar and Taylor Henry filled out the stat sheet on both ends of the pool, each responsible for vital first half takeaways, as well as combining for five of the Vikings seven first half goals.
The Pirates were able to make a surge in the fourth quarter, scoring three times in a late game rally following a mass substitution from the DVC bench, but by then the game was well out of reach for the determined visiting squad.
The men faced a daunting defense themselves as both teams swarmed the middle, countering any and all cross passes with double coverage and a storm of white water. There were far more penalties called in the second contest, much to the dismay of the coaches on both sides who received a yellow card each for arguing with the referee.
Many of the infractions occurred under the water, evidenced only by the facial expressions and body language of the players. There was a lot of action taking place below the surface during the men’s game, and not all of it was legal.
The undefeated Vikings battled back and forth with the highly competitive Pirates throughout the rough and often penalized first quarter, which left both squads deadlocked in a 1-1 tie.
In the second quarter, the undefeated Vikings took control, outscoring the opposition 4-1 to build a lead of 5-2 going into the half. The Vikings continued the push into the second half, adding another score within moments of the start of third quarter play.
Both squads continued to trade goals throughout the second half. Despite fighting hard and competitively until the very end, Modesto was ultimately unable to make a substantial comeback against the powerful DVC Vikings.
The DVC women hold a record of 16-1 on the season. They are ranked ninth in the current coaches poll, behind teams like Long Beach CC (12-4), Fullerton (12-3) and Orange Coast (10-5). The DVC Men are undefeated, 11-0. They’re still ranked third in the polls, behind West Valley (9-2) and Golden West (5-0). Their next home game is on Wednesday Oct. 10th, where both teams will play against Sierra College and Cal Berkeley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo_dw0dh8iI&feature=plcp&rel=0