COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Sanchez’s Goal in Overtime Gets OCC Past Golden West in Water Polo

Arturo Sanchez scored with 15 seconds left in overtime to give Orange Coast College a 12-11 victory over Golden West in a nonconference water polo match Wednesday at Golden West.

Sanchez’s goal capped a late rally by Orange Coast (15-3), the fourth-ranked team in the state. Golden West, the state’s third-ranked team, squandered a pair of three-goal leads.

The Rustlers (18-2) led in the first quarter, 3-0, and, 10-7, with 3:47 left in the fourth quarter.

OCC rallied to tie on goals by Sanchez, Tony Litwak and Mike McNeff. McNeff’s goal tied the score, 10-10, with about 40 seconds left in regulation.

Neither team got a shot in the final 30 seconds of regulation.

Golden West took an 11-10 lead in overtime on Pono Faulkner’s goal with 2:41 left in the first of the two three-minute overtimes. McNeff tied it about a minute later.

Henry Rabello and Greg LaPointe led Golden West with four goals each. But Rabello, the Rustlers’ leading scorer this season, got his third major foul and was ejected with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter.

McNeff, Litwak and Sanchez scored three goals each and Kennedy two for OCC.