Latham Shines at Citrus Mini

Citrus College made its home debut Thursday, battling No. 2-ranked Riverside City College in a 13-7 defeat before downing San Diego Mesa 12-8 in the nightcap.

The Owls move to 2-8 on the year, while the Tigers sit at 11-1 and the Olympians slip to 6-5 overall.

Delaney Latham had a dominant performance in the pool, finishing with 13 goals over the two games. She had five goals against RCC and added another eight against SD Mesa.

Andrea Hayler scored two goals against the Olympians, while Xiana Cabral, Bianca Casas, Trinity Hulet and Genesis Moradel also scored for the Owls.

After dropping the first game, Citrus came out fired up in the second game and jumped out to a 4-0 lead early. Latham scored three of the goals on power plays, while Hayler also rattled in a shot before Mesa could get on the board.

The Olympians battled back and tied the game with three goals in the second and kept it close, 6-5, heading into the final quarter.

Latham took the game in her hands and went on a tear, scoring five of the six Citrus goals in the period to secure the 12-7 win.

The Owls have a quick turnaround and play in the San Joaquin Delta Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Citrus first takes on Modesto College on Friday at 10 a.m.