Corsairs Come up Short Against Cuesta Cougars
The Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs men’s water polo team faced off against the Cuesta College Cougars at home on Thursday, Oct. 23, in its penultimate conference match. The Corsairs came out of the gate exuding strength and confidence but soon sputtered out, suffering a 20-10 loss to the Cougars.
The Corsairs wrapped up the first quarter with four goals under their belt, three of which came from standout player Ronan Maynes and the other from Mac Mckinney. All four goals were scored from the “set” position, SMC’s strongest position offensively.
In the second quarter, Ronan Maynes scored both of SMC’s goals. First, he capitalized on a power play with a skip shot, and subsequently stunned the crowd with a buzzer-beater lob shot from the middle of the pool. However, the half ended with the score 13-6 in favor of Cuesta.
The second half didn’t amount to much for the Corsairs as they simultaneously struggled on defense and failed to capitalize on offense. Each time SMC got a power play opportunity, the ball was hastily shot or otherwise turned over. Meanwhile, Cuesta scored on almost every power play awarded to them, making for a lopsided scoreboard.
The Corsairs’ defense struggled in the second half, often making little mistakes that led to big consequences. Blocked Cuesta shots were rarely recovered by SMC defenders, and even when they were, the Cougars quickly stole them back and turned them into goals.
In the final quarter, Maynes scored two additional goals, bringing his total to eight for the day — accounting for 80% of the team's scoring on Thursday.
Cuesta is the top team in the Western State Conference, winning the championship with an undefeated 6-0 conference record for two consecutive years. This season they’re keeping that streak alive, currently standing in first place with a 4-0 conference record.
“We don’t have the numbers we want this year,”Maynes said in regard to the Corsairs’ challenge against the Cougars. "Compared to years before, we have a really small team.”
This is part of a larger downtrend in SMC’s recruitment for both the men’s and women’s teams. The women’s team was forced to forfeit this season due to a lack of players. Although struggling with a smaller team, the men’s water polo team were able to retain theirs.
According to Maynes, defense has been one of SMC’s biggest issues because their starting goalie recently quit the team. In his place is Elisabeth Marcot, starting goalie and captain of SMC’s women’s team. After the women’s season was cut, she stepped in for the men’s team on short notice.
“It’s a good substitution, but we kind of have to change our defense because we’re not used to playing with her,” said Maynes. “And she doesn’t really know our defense compared to how she’s been playing with the girls.”
As long as a player on the women’s team meets eligibility requirements for competition, there is no blanket prohibition against playing on the men’s side.
The California Community College Athletic Association’s (CCCAA) rule parallels the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) rule, which states: “Regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender identity, a student-athlete may participate (practice and compete) with a men’s team, given they meet all other eligibility requirements.”
After Thursday’s game, the Corsairs fell to a 6-16 record overall with an 0-3 conference record. Their final match will be held at home against LA Valley College on Wednesday, Oct. 29.