Panthers Compete at Mt. SAC Tournament

The Chaffey College women's water polo team competed in four matches at Mt. SAC's tournament over the weekend, gaining valuable experience against a challenging lineup of opponents. Sarah Alexander led the Panthers offensively throughout the tournament, turning in multiple-goal performances in three of four games, while Ani Babayan and Kaylee Pfalmer added consistent scoring efforts across the weekend.

Chaffey opened play on Friday against Palomar College but fell 15-4. The Panthers struck first when Aubrey Castillo converted a pass from Elise Camarena to give Chaffey an early 1-0 lead. Palomar responded with a surge of goals to take control by halftime, but the Panthers continued to battle and found momentum in the final frame. Alexander and Pfalmer each scored off assists from Savannah Shaw, and Babayan added a goal from Pfalmer to complete the fourth-period push. Goalkeeper Annemarie Marcucci tallied nine saves in the cage.

Later that day, the Panthers faced Crafton Hills College and dropped a 14-4 decision. After falling behind early, Chaffey found some offensive flow in the second period when Alexander netted the team's first goal of the game. She added another in the third period off a feed from Shaw, and completed her hat trick in the fourth period on an assist from Alyssa Garcia. Goalkeeper Shaw totaled seven saves in the cage.

The Panthers returned to action on Saturday against Fullerton College, falling 20-5. Chaffey came out strong, taking an early 2-0 lead in the first period as Sarah Villa scored off a feed from Garcia, followed by a quick strike from Alexander assisted by Villa. Alexander continued to lead the team offensively, scoring again in the second period from a set up by Camarena and adding another in the third assisted by Mikaela Hernandez. She capped off her four-goal performance in the fourth period with a finish assisted by Babayan. Goalkeeper Shaw tallied eight saves in the cage.

Chaffey wrapped up play against Cypress College, falling 11-4. The Chargers built an early lead with four goals in the first period before Alexander put the Panthers on the board late with an assist from Pfalmer. Alexander struck again in the second period with an unassisted goal as the Panthers continued to press offensively. She later assisted Camarena in the fourth period for Chaffey's final score, while Pfalmer added another assist earlier in the match. Goalkeeper Marcucci totaled nine saves in the cage.

The Panthers will now shift their focus to South Coast Conference play, traveling to El Camino College on Tuesday, October 1, at 4:30 p.m.