The Ventura County Fusion women's soccer team picked up its first goals and point in franchise history Saturday night in Vancouver.
Former Oxnard College star Tenley Garcia, one of the few Fusion players to make the team from its open tryout, came off the bench to score both goals.
Here are some links from the press in British Columbia:
The Ventura College men's tennis team clinched its first state championship Thursday afternoon.
The doubles team of Matthias Muster and Alexandre Rigobello defeated Charles Nguyen and Ben Fernandez 6-3, 6-1 to clinch Ventura's 5-2 win over Fresno City College Tuesday afternoon at El Dorado Tennis Center in Long Beach.
Ventura's two other doubles teams were also up a set at the moment the title was clinched.
Fresno had defeated Ventura in its previous state dual team final, 5-2, in 2004.
Coach Nelson Emery, less than a year after suffering a life-threatening neck injury, earned Ventura College's lucky 13th state championship.
His program joins men's basketball ('51, '52, '87, '95, '96), women's basketball ('95, '96, '99, '00, '01), men's swimming ('05) and women's cross country ('82 small schools) as the fifth VC program to capture state glory.
Unable to hide a wide smile, Emery earned a final cheer from his state champions and a surprise ice-water shower from Diego Almeida and Ben Steensland.
The Ventura College men's tennis team is one set away from its first state championship as the doubles teams of Hassan Abbas-Diego Almeida (7-5) and Mattias Muster-Alex Rigobello (6-3) have taken the first set of their best-of-three matches against Fresno City.
Ventura's other team of Ben Steensland-James Preston trails Nico Ernst-Hank Bessinger 5-4 in the first set.
If any of those three teams can win their matches, Ventura will clinch the title.
Ventura College men's tennis coach Nelson Emery is confident. The Pirates, who lead Fresno City 4-2 in the state final, will be forced to play doubles matches for the first time in the postseason.
"The three was expected," said Emery, during the break between singles and doubles play. "Getting Four was gravy."
The good news is that Ventura has taken a 4-2 lead in the state dual team men's tennis final. The No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 singles players have cruised to straight set victory.
James Preston defeated Troy Kellenberger 6-4, 6-0. Diego Almeida defeated Ignacio Lucero 6-0, 6-4. Ben Steensland routed David Nicasio 6-1, 6-1.
To cries of "Vamo Bolsa" in his native Brazilian Portuguese, Alex Rigobello, at No. 3 singles, won the first set 6-4, then came back from a 5-4 deficit to win the second set on a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-5).
Now comes the hard part, getting the final match.
At No. 1 singles, Hassan Abbas won the first set, 6-4. But he dropped the second and third sets, 6-0 and 6-3.
Matthias Muster, at No. 2 singles, fell to Spainard Jose Hilla, 6-4, 6-2.
Ventura can clinch the match with one of the three doubles matches.
Ventura has made most of the early inroads. Almeida and Steensland, at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, dominated their first sets, 6-0. Rigobello and Preston, at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, edged their first sets, 6-4. And Hassan Abbas, at No. 1 singles, swung momentum by winning his first set, 6-4.
Abbas fell to his opponent, Nico Ernst, when the two teams met in March. So that's a good sign for the Pirates.
Almeida and Steensland are also cruising in their second sets, so Ventura is due to take an early 2-0 lead.
Serve is held in almost all the first couple games. Only Ventura's Ben Steensland, at No. 6 singles, has taken an early edge, leading 3-0 in his first set.
Abbas, at No. 1 singles, is even, 1-1. Muster, at No. 2 singles, is ahead 2-1. Rigobello, at No. 3 singles, is down, 3-2. Preston, at No. 4 singles, is head 3-2.
Before taking the court, Ventura coach Nelson Emery shared that the matchup with Fresno is a close one. Fresno has an edge in the first three singles. Ventura has an edge in the second three singles. If that's how the first round of matches shake out, the state title will be determined by two out of three doubles matches.
The matchups are set. With the Ventura player listed first, they are:
At No. 1 singles, Hassan Abbas vs. Nico Ernst. At No. 2 singles, Mattias Muster vs. Jose Hilla. At No. 3 singles, Alex Rigobello vs. Hank Bessinger. At. No. 4 singles, James Preston vs. Troy Kellenberg. At No. 5 singles, Diego Almeida vs. Ignacio Lucero. At No. 6 singles, Ben Steensland vs. David Nicasio.
In making the prematch introductios, Ventura coach Nelson Emery introduced his team with a bevy of nicknames, including "The A-Train" for Abbas, "Moose" for Muster, "Cobra" for Rigobello, "Big Game James" for Preston, and "Big Ben" for Steensland.
For some reason, Almeida, the team's only returning starter, didn't have a nickname.
I would have gone with "The Pirate of Penzance" for Preston, who hails from Penzance, England.
We've arrived in Long Beach at El Dorado Tennis Center. The teams are warming up. We'll bring updates once the match gets underway at noon.
Staff photographer Juan Carlo and I have left the county and headed south to El Dorado Tennis Club in Long Beach to watch the unbeaten Ventura College men's tennis team (23-0) attempt to complete its first state championship season against Fresno City.
The match starts at noon.
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