Women's Water Polo Season Ends In SCC 5th Place Final Loss To Chaffey

The Pasadena City College women's water polo team showed its scoring prowess over the final two games as the Lancers netted 28 goals, finishing the 2021 season in a hard-fought 12-10 loss v. Chaffey in the fifth place final of the South Coast Conference Tournament on Saturday. The tourney was played at Mt. San Antonio College.

PCC (4-13, 4-6 in conference games) didn't start out the season-ending tourney well. El Camino College handed PCC a 12-3 defeat in the opening round against a Warriors' team it had beaten in the dual season, 14-12. But Pasadena then scored the most goals it totaled in a game since 2017 in an 18-7 rout over East Los Angeles in round 2. 

In the ELAC win, Lilian Tahmasian poured in six goals, Mia Hernandez had five goals and three assists and Marina Schulz tallied three goals and four assists. Leila Jimenez added two goals, three assists, and three steals while Nickey Hale picked up a goal and four assists. Goalie Daniela Dockendorf-Cani made seven saves.

Against Chaffey, Marley Courtney scored a power play goal, her fourth of the game, with 3:27 remaining to tie it 10-10. The Panthers' Cecilia Mari stepped up and scored the game-winner 45 seconds later and added an insurance goal with 1:49 left. Tahmasian and Hale collected two goals each while Schulz and Jimenez each had a goal and three assists. 

"Dani kept us in the game in the fourth quarter with four major blocks," said PCC head coach Terry Stoddard. "Marley was our primary scorer in the first game (two goals) and again in our last. I'm proud of the girls for the way they fought v. Chaffey and showed their competitive spirit right down to the end. These women have been champions for each other throughout this entire season. With everyone coming back next year, we all have a vision of building on this season's successes."

Tahmasian led the team in goals with 32 (and 24 steals), followed by Courtney with 30 goals, a team-high 48 percent scoring percentage and a team-best 27 steals (and four field blocks).

Jimenez contributed a team-high 19 assists (and 15 goals). Dockendorf-Cani played all 17 games defending the PCC cage, totaling 98 saves. 

Marley Courtney in action