Comets take crown from Monarchs

CITRUS, CA (11/9/2023) -- For the first time since 2017, Palomar College Men's Water Polo advanced to the postseason and they faced LA Valley College. As the No. 9 seed, Palomar knew they had it in them to compete at the 3C2A SoCal Regionals and make a name for themselves, and a 14-10 win over No. 8 LA Valley helped.

The Comets found themselves down 4-1 at the end of the first quarter, but head coach Mike Mulvey wasn't going to back down and his team was ready to battle. The Comets unloaded their scoring attack, racking up five goals in the second quarter, all assisted by Arleigh Williams, to tie the game at halftime. Palomar edged LA Valley 3-2 in the third by playing excellent defense. Down two players, LA Valley had the advantage and Palomar wouldn't let them score, bocking two shots before getting the ball back and making the field even again. It was all Palomar in the fourth quarter as they scored another five goals to LA Valley's one. 

TJ Turner ended the day with seven goals on 12shots, while Phoenix Schultz and Alex Alvarez each had two. Williams finished with a team-high six assists and Schultz finished with three. Williams and Turner each had two steals. Schultz led the team with six exclusions drawn, while Turner had four and Williams and Caleb Hogle each had two. Cody Lovgren drew three exclusions. Hogle also had three blocks on the day. Goalie Tre Turner played all four quarters for the Comets and had 11 saves on 21 shots. 

Palomar advances to the second day of the 3C2A SoCal Regionals, the first time in recent memory, and will play No. 1 Golden West College.