Annie Ackert and Hana Wigzell poured in seven goals on Wednesday to spark SBCC to a 10-4 WSC win over Ventura in its women's water polo home opener at Santa Barbara High.
Ackert, a former Santa Ynez High standout, had four goals, two steals and three drawn ejections. Wigzell, a sophomore utility from Sandy, Oregon and the only returner from last year's 30-5 edition, added three goals and two steals.
"We're playing better as a team and we definitely had a lot of learning opportunities in this game," said Ackert. "We came together as a team and figured out all the plays we've been working on.
"We're already super close and we all get along together really well. I think we're going to have a really good season."
The Vaqueros improved to 11-1 and 2-0 in the Western State Conference, extending their conference win streak to 34 games. The Vaqueros are 30-1 at home since starting the program in 2014.
Raylynn Lipsky scored two goals for the Pirates (5-4, 0-1).
Hana Wigzell with a spinner-rama goal in the first quarter of 10-4 win over Ventura. pic.twitter.com/6pbgUiNT6c
— SBCCVaqueros (@SBCCVaqueros) September 26, 2019
Bleu Ricketts collected three assists for the Vaqueros while Taylor Brooks contributed two goals, two steals, three drawn ejections and two blocks. Madison Wayman also had three drawn ejections.
Brooks, a sophomore transfer from Sonoma State, leads the state in scoring with 40 goals in 12 games.
The Vaqueros opened the scoring after just 36 seconds with Ricketts feeding Ackert for a 6-meter score. Brooks converted a 5-meter penalty into the lower left and Wigzell scored to give Santa Barbara a 3-0 lead after a quarter.
SBCC added four more goals in the second frame with Ackert scoring on a 5-meter penalty shot at 3:27 and rippling the net at 0:24 on a pass from Ricketts. The Vaqueros led 7-1 at the half.
"Taylor Brooks was phenomenal on defense," said sixth-year coach Chuckie Roth. "Hana was super sick today and she still got a hat trick. It's always a team effort with this group.
"Annie Ackert shoots the heck out of the ball. She's a grinder and a hard-working kid who doesn't know how to not work hard. At times, if she worked less hard, she'd be better. I'm trying to teach her when and where to expend her energy."
Zoe Johnson played the first three quarters in goal and gave up two goals while turning away five shots.
"This is a young group with only one returning player, so we're working on a lot of chemistry things," said Roth. "Today, we were trying to work on some new things that we haven't done yet and that created a little disorganization. Each game is a chance to improve and we're just trying to get better for the end of the season."
The Vaqueros will play four games at the Mt. SAC Classic on Friday and Saturday. They'll open against East L.A. on Friday at 11:30 a.m. and then take on Long Beach at 5:20 p.m.
