Tigers Split First Day of North vs. South Tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sierra (,) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
|
Riverside (,) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
American River (,) | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 15 |
|
Riverside (,) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
After a dominant win in the season opener, Riverside City College men's water polo split a pair of contests to begin the North vs. South Tournament at Merced College on Aug. 30. The Tigers defeated Sierra College 12-6 for their second-straight win before falling to American River College, 15-6, to move to 2-1 on the year.
Freshman goalie Aiden Thompson anchored RCC in the cage, with 10 saves and a steal in the six-goal win over Sierra. The Tigers' trio of Lennon Franklin, Colby Martin, and Luke Bills proved to be too much for Sierra to overcome on the other end.
Franklin led the Tigers in scoring with four goals, an assist, and two steals; Martin was seeing triple with three goals, three assists, and three steals, and Bills provided three goals and three steals. Nathan Ferguson added to RCC's depth with two assists, a goal, and a steal.
RCC jumped out to a 5-1 lead with 2:50 to go in the first half, but Sierra fought back within two, 6-4, at the 4:54 mark of the third quarter. That's when the Tigers put the game away with a 4-1 run powered by two goals apiece from Franklin and Martin to bring the score to 10-5 with less than four minutes to play.
American River, which advanced to the 3C2A State Championship Tournament in 2023, proved to be a good early-season test for RCC. Bills scored a team-high three goals and added an assist and a steal. Franklin chipped in two goals, two steals, and an assist, while Martin added two assists, a goal, and a steal.