Men's Water Polo won its first three games of the Cuesta Invitational and were cruising towards a share of the tournament title before dropping the finale to finish the weekend with a 3-1 mark. The 10th-ranked Cougars opened the day with a win over #11 Riverside, 11-9. but what had begun as a blow-out, as Cuesta opened a six-goal lead early in the 3rd quarter, ended closer than expected. The visiting Tigers posted a strong second half to close the gap in an eventual Cuesta victory, 11-9. In the tournament finale against Mt San Antonio, the Cougars had built another 10-6 lead by halftime. Unfortunately, the 4th-ranked Mounties were able to overcome the deficit and caught the Cougars at 10-10 early in the 4th quarter. In that final frame, Mt San Antonio completed their comeback by scoring the game winner in the contest's waning moments for the victory, 12-11. The loss did little to spoil new Cuesta Coach Greg Enloe's debut weekend, he said, "I am very proud of how well the men's team played. Everyone involved has shown an incredible amount of patience, discipline, and fortitude. I am optimistic of our future together." Enloe's Cougars entered this weekend ranked 10th in the CCCAA State Poll and knocked off #5 Long Beach City, unranked 2022 Playoff team Grossmont and #11 Riverside, before their setback against the 4th-ranked Mounties. Sophomore Dante Ianora (pict) and Freshman Andoni Petroutsas tied for the team lead with 13 goals each over four games in their home tournament. Petroutsas scored a team season-high seven goals in the Cougars' victory over Grossmont on Friday, while Ianora scored six goals today and eclipsed his 2022 season scoring total of 34 goals. Ianora currently leads the Cougars with 40 goals on the season.
The Cougars are 8-4 on the season and have a small break next week with only one game on the schedule. Cuesta opens Western State Conference play with a men's and women's doubleheader at Ventura on Wednesday. The men open the twinbill against the Pirates at 4 PM, while the women play the nightcap at 5:30. Both games will be broad cast by Cuesta Marketing team.
