Gauchos pull off daily double

The Saddleback men's water polo team improved to 2-0 on Friday in the Saddleback Invitational at the Saddleback Aquatics Center.  The Gauchos finished off Modesto Junior College, 12-11, in the late game.

Saddleback was coming off an exciting one-goal win against Ventura in the opening game of the day and needed a win to get back to .500 for the season.  The Gauchos trailed early, and eventually surged past the Pirates in the final quarter to claim the win.

Spencer Sellwood had a big game for Saddleback, finishing with team-highs in goals (4) and assists (3) while finishing with four steals.  Sellwood gave the Gauchos a 3-2 lead with 1:06 remaining in the opening quarter.  He would later reclaim the lead for Saddleback at the beginning of the second half when he notched his fourth goal of the game for a 7-6 lead.

Saddleback trailed late in the third quarter before scoring three straight goals to take an 11-9 lead.  Matthew Mulfinger, Andrew Carter and Carson Williams all connected to give the Gauchos the lead with 5:12 remaining in the game.

Modesto cut the lead to 11-10 midway through the fourth quarter before Williams notched second goal of the game for a 12-10 lead with 3:21 remaining.  The Gauchos then held on for a second straight one-goal win as the Pirates had a final opportunity in the closing seconds but came up empty.

Saddleback is now 6-6 on the season following the two wins.  The Gauchos will host two more games on Saturday, playing Merced at 9:10 AM and Santa Monica at 4:10 PM.