Carly Clark scored four goals, Emily Allen scored two goals and Marissa Herold made 11 saves, including a point-blank save to preserve the win with 37 seconds left, as the Ventura College women's water polo team defended its Western State Conference title with a 7-6 win over Citrus Saturday afternoon at the WSC Championships at Los Angeles Valley College.

Ventura (17-4) awaits its Southern California regional playoff seeding Monday as WSC champion.

Two previous 13-8 wins over Citrus (14-10) meant nothing when the Owls opened up first quarter leads of 3-1 and 4-2.

"We knew if we could just hold on, we were better conditioned," said Ventura coach Mary Giles.

Citrus kept Ventura's leading scorer, Clark, off the scoreboard for the first 10 minutes.

"I was getting a little frustrated," said the Agoura High product. "It was physical out there."

But the Pirates used man-advantage situations to work their way back into the game.

"Once we started drawing ejections, we were able to set the tempo," said Clark.

Down 4-2 after one quarter, Ventura scored five of the next six goals to take a 7-5 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter.

Clark and Allen each scored twice on the man advantage during that span.

Citrus star Meghan Turner, who had been held to a single goal in Ventura's previous two wins over the Owls, scored her fourth goal to pull Citrus within 7-6 with 4:27 to play in the third quarter.

The final 12 minutes became a swim meet as Ventura turned up the defense.

"It was swimming back and forth," said Clark.

"That's what we train for," said sophomore Mary Dugan.

Ventura sophomore Marissa Herold kept her net empty for the final 12:27, making a huge point-blank save with 37 seconds to play as Citrus pressed for an equalizer on the advantage.

"That was fabulous," said Giles. "What a storybook ending for her, and for us really."

"She saved us," said Clark.

A decisive few days for the fall season arrives this weekend.

Looking to defend their conference titles, the Ventura College men's and women's water polo teams will be the top seeds at this weekend's Western State Conference championships at Los Angeles Valley College.

The two teams went a combined 8-0 in WSC play. Both will face the winner of a preliminary march between host Valley and Santa Monica Friday.

The Ventura men (17-4), ranked No. 4 in the state, have won seven of its past eight games behind firepower like Spencer McGrath (52 goals, 20 assists), Mike Crowley (52 goals, 19 assists) and Tyler McClure (44 goals).

The Ventura women (16-4) have been led by the offense of sophomore Carly Clark, who has 91 goals, and the defense of sophomore Mary Dugan, who will defend high-scoring Citrus driver Meghan Turner should the two teams meet in Saturday's title game.

Turner has scored just one of her 72 goals in a pair of Ventura 13-8 wins over Citrus.

"We're pretty aware of what she can do," said Ventura coach Mary Giles. "We're really good defensively this year."

Two years after the Moorpark College women's soccer team ended cross-county rival Ventura's 10-year hole on the WSC North by clinching the title with a scoreless draw at the VC Sportsplex, the two teams will find themselves in the same place, in a similar situation Friday night at 5:30.

First-place Moorpark (13-0-3, 8-0-1) can clinch its second title in three years with a win or a draw. Second-place Ventura (13-3), 7-1) can top the table with a win.

"It's basically the same situation," said Ventura coach Steve Hoffman. "It's one of those games when you know you have to step up and do your thing.

"It's an interesting match. We know what we have to do. We have to go and try to win the game."

Moorpark earned its advantage with a 1-0 home win over Ventura on Oct. 13.

"I think we played pretty well the first time around, we just didn't finish in front of goal," said Hoffman. "We've got to deal with their speed and they defend awfully well."

The game features two of the high-scoring attackers in the state in Ventura's Jazmarae Strozier and Moorpark's Lindsey McClellan.

Strozier, the Buena High product whose father, Clint, played football for Moorpark, leads the state with 22 goals. Moorpark does not post its statistics.

"I think we're just going to play the best we can," said McClellan. "Hopefully it all works out."

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team (14-1, 6-0), ranked No. 4 in the state, can take a two-match lead in the WSC North if it extends its conference winning streak to 19 matches Tuesday at second-place Santa Barbara City (16-2, 5-1).

Five of the six local programs qualified for Saturday's Southern California cross-country championships at the familiar hilly course at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.

Oxnard and Ventura college, which qualified both its men's and women's teams with solid finishes at last week's WSC Championships, is aiming for the Top 14 finishes that would mean a state meet berths.

"That would be really good," said Oxnard coach Gino Sharp. "It's difficult to just send one team."

Although like many local programs, the Pirates have been stricken by illness.

"It's a hard time of the year to keep everyone healthy, especially this year," said Ventura College coach Nancy Fredrickson. "It's gone through the entire team."

Head coach Mary Giles might have her husband, Mike, to thank for one of the Ventura College women's water polo team's top players.

Carly Clark attended UC Santa Barbara straight out of Agoura High. After transferring back to Moorpark College, Clark was spotted at a local water polo game by Mike Giles.

"I owe him big time for that one," said Giles.

Clark entered last week with 41 goals and 11 assists to lead the Pirates (11-4), who improved to 3-0 in the Western State Conference mark by beating Citrus 13-9.

"She's a leader out there," said Mary Giles. "She directs a lot of the offense. She's amazingly positive."

Veterans Emily Allen and Mary Dugan are also important pieces. The 6-foot Allen had 18 goals, as well as providing solid hole set defense.

"She's a wall," said Giles.

Dugan is one of the team's most active players.

"She's ripped from head to toe," said Giles.

Another Marmonte League product, freshman Courtney Thomas (Westlake), is one of several players who provide production off the bench.

"We're a little deeper than I had thought we were going to be," said Giles.

Ventura needed it for Wednesday's trip to Glendora.

"It's always really hot and smoggy there," said Giles. "It makes it super competitive."

The Ventura College women's water polo team opened the season by splitting four games in Walnut over the weekend at the Mount San Antonio College tournament, which included a 12-10 overtime win over Grossmont and 5-4 overtime loss to Palomar.

This Ventura College women's water polo team might be one of the best-coached teams in the state.

The Pirates have an experienced head coach in Mary Giles, who opened her ninth season at the helm last weekend at the Mount San Antonio College tournament.

But the team also is being forged by morning workouts with Larry Baratte, VC's Ventura County Hall of Fame-member swim coach, and much of the roster takes a weight training class with perhaps future Hall of Fame football coach Jon Mack.

"Most of them go to coach Mack because he kicks their butts in the weight room," said Giles. "So I've got an all-star coaching staff. Just not at the games, where it's just me."