Pierce College’s women’s water polo team defeated Cuesta College 11-10 Thursday, remaining undefeated in conference play and improving their overall record to 8-2.
The match, played at Cuesta College, is the third consecutive victory for Pierce in as many games, a streak Head Coach Moriah Van Norman credits to the team’s conditioning and mental toughness.
“Our girls are extremely well conditioned, they’re hard workers,” said Van Norman after the game. “They have the mental toughness to get out of tough situations and that plays a huge part in our success.”
Although the team won the match, several mistakes were made in the fourth quarter after being up by 5 on the scoreboard going into the final quarter, much to the displeasure of Coach Van Norman.
“A win is a win even though it isn’t pretty,” said Van Norman. “We’re going to have to find ways to get creative and pull out wins even when it’s not the best played game.”
Although the team has put together a win streak, the team has yet to play a great game from start to finish, according to Van Norman.
“We haven’t had one really good game where everyone on the team has played their role the best they can,” said Van Norman. “I’m waiting for the chance where it all clicks at the same time – once we do that we’ll be unstoppable.”
Van Norman’s thoughts were echoed by freshmen attacker Maggie Kurzeka, who notices a lack in consistency throughout a game’s entirety.
“We need to work on starting off playing hard in the beginning of the game to the end and finishing our opportunities on offense,” said Kurzeka.
Team play has been an area that needs improvement, according to sophomore team captain Leslie Vento.
“Our communication in the water could use some work, but we’re coming together more and more everyday,” said Vento. “We always want to keep our energy up and come out strong against each competitor.”
With the team stacking together three straight wins, teamwork has been a key factor in the team’s recent play, according to Kurzeka.
“We have great chemistry and communication, which is a big part of putting together a win,” said Kurzeka.
As the wins pile up, the team looks to carry over the winning momentum into their next match.
“We approach the game the same way, the mentality doesn’t change,” said Van Norman. “Its one game at a time, one possession at a time.”
The team’s next match is against Citrus College on Wednesday, October, 17 at 3:30 pm at Pierce’s Steven E. Schofield Aquatic Center.