ROUND 1 SOCAL REGIONALS: FC KNOCKS OFF LA VALLEY

The No. 8 seeded FC women's water polo team passed their first postseason test on Thursday afternoon powering past No. 9 Los Angeles Valley College 14-8 in the opening round of the 3C2A Southern California Regionals at Southwestern College.

The Hornets wasted no time imposing their offense erupting for 6 goals in the opening quarter to take control early. Julianna Garcia started the scoring for FC with an assist from Isabella Castaneda followed by back-to-back strikes from Ava Spear and Garcia again. Shayla Summers added two goals of her own, and Addison Spoonhower capped the dominant period with a strong finish.

The Monarchs attempted to claw back with 2 goals from Catalina Maldonado Lopez in the second, but the Hornets answered quickly. Spear tallied another score off a Summers setup, and Castaneda buried one more before the half to push the lead to 8-3.

The Hornets stayed steady in the third quarter with goals from Fernandez, Garcia, and Spear as Fullerton increased its advantage to 11-5. In the fourth, Fullerton protected its cushion with goals from Summers, Fernandez, and Spear to close out the win.

Fullerton outshot LA Valley 27-17 and forced 12 steals showcasing a strong defensive presence. FC goalie Sienna Bertsch was strong in the cage finishing with 8 saves on the day.

Up Next: No. 8 Fullerton (17-14 overall) will take on last season's state champion No. 1 Long Beach City College (34-2 overall) in the second round of the bracket on Friday, November 14th at 3:00 pm.

The 3C2A SoCal Regional Bracket