Chaffey Secures 13-10 Win Over Rio Hondo

The Chaffey College men's water polo team secured a 13–10 win over Rio Hondo College on Wednesday afternoon at the Aquatic Center. The Panthers jumped ahead early, dominated the second quarter, and held off a late rally from the Roadrunners to secure the win.

Chaffey found its rhythm early, building a 3–2 lead after the opening frame behind goals from Vincent Garibay, Parker Black, and Evan Fleming. The Panthers took full control in the second quarter, scoring six unanswered goals to extend their advantage to 9–2 at halftime. Garibay and Fleming led the surge with two goals each, while Thomas Skaggs, Jacob Morales, and Andrew Hinojosa added tallies off assists from Baron Gonzalez and Gabriel Zarate Ayala.

After a strong defensive stretch to open the third, Chaffey weathered a Rio Hondo push that cut the lead to 10–7 entering the fourth quarter. The Panthers responded with back-to-back goals from Black and Wendell McIntosh, both assisted by Fleming, to rebuild the margin. Mario Nikolovski capped the scoring late in the final frame on a setup from Zarate Ayala to seal the 13–10 win. Goalkeepers Nolan Hanson and Adam Kirkpatrick combined for nine saves in the cage.

With the win, Chaffey improves to 1–4 in the South Coast Conference and will next travel south to compete in the Día de Los Muertos Tournament at Southwestern College on Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1. The Panthers will open play against Southwestern College at 10:15 a.m.