Click the jump for the complete box score for No. 2 Ventura's win over No. 1 Mount SAC Sunday afternoon in the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions final.

Condor Classic

Championship -- Ventura 99, No. 4 San Bernardino Valley 92 FINAL
Third-place -- Oxnard 89, Santa Barbara City 78 FINAL

VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions

Championship -- No. 2 Ventura 65, No. 1 Mount SAC 42 FINAL

Ned Mircetic is 537-84 (.865) in 19 years as the head coach of the Ventura College women's basketball team.

There is only one program who has a winning record over the Pirates in five or more contests during that span.

The Ventura College women's basketball team is 7-9 against Mount San Antonio College since 1990, including a 2-8 mark since the 1999-2000 season. Which means Mount SAC has given Mircetic more than 10 percent of his losses.

The Mounties have won the last six meetings since Ventura won the 2002 state title game between the two teams and are 6-0 in fall tournament finals since 2000, including 4-0 over Ventura in the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions.

The last 10 meetings:

Nov. 11, 2000: Mount SAC 64, Ventura 53 -- Chaffey tourney semis
Nov. 26, 2000: Mount SAC 55, Ventura 53 -- VC-Kiwanis TOC final
Dec. 1, 2001: Ventura 76, Mount SAC 70 (OT) -- VC-Kiwanis TOC third-place
March 16, 2002: Ventura 64, Mount SAC 59 -- State championship
Nov. 30, 2002: Mount SAC 102, Ventura 76 -- VC-Kiwanis TOC final
Dec. 7, 2002: Mount SAC 79, Ventura 71 -- Gilcrest Invite final, Visalia
Nov. 27, 2003: Mount SAC 73, Ventura 48 -- VC-Kiwanis TOC final
Nov. 24, 2007: Mount SAC 72, Ventura 61 -- VC-Kiwanis TOC final
Dec. 3, 2007: Mount SAC 65, Ventura 60 -- Gilcrest Invite final, Visalia
Dec. 8, 2007: Mount SAC 68, Ventura 56 -- Moorpark tourney semis

In a showdown of the top two teams in California, No. 1 Mount San Antonio College (8-0) and No. 2 Ventura College (7-0) meet Sunday at 4 p.m. in the final of the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions at the VC Athletic Event Center.

The Ventura College women's basketball team is 7-0 for the first time since 2002-03, which is incidentally the last time the Pirates defeated Mount SAC.

The Mounties have won the past five VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions and have won six straight games over the Pirates dating back to Nov. 30, 2002, when 16 points from Kelly Fay and 13 rebounds from Kristine Gleisberg led VC over Mount SAC in overtime, 76-70, in the TOC's third-place game.

The Pirates had just had their 41-game winning streak snapped by Orange Coast in the tournament's semifinals, 53-48.

Mount SAC, now the three-time defending state champions, as the Pirates were then, has won 45 straight games, which may just be a state record.

Ventura won 42 straight games from 1995-96, in the middle of its first two state championship, and 39 straight games from 1999-2000, when it produced the greatest season in California Community College basketball history, men or women, by going 38-0.

That streak was snapped in the first game of the 2000-01 season by Mount SAC in another No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown.

Ventura defeated Mount SAC in the 2002 state title game, 63-59, behind 16 points each from Monique Taylor and Monica Hang.

Rather than the two superstar tandem of Jazlyn Davis and Carmen Deal, who combined for 35.4 points and 15.1 rebounds per game last season, the No. 1-ranked Mount San Antonio College women's basketball team features a balanced team this season, including Oxnard High product Jordan Kuzma, who averaging 13.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

"They look excellent," said Ventura College coach Ned Mircetic. "People are saying that they're not as good as last year, but I don't see much drop off. What they don't have is the two superstars they had last year. They have much more balance this year. They have about eight or nine excellent players."

"They're a formidable opponent and will be formidable for everyone this year."

Three-time defending state champion Mount SAC has won 45 straight games, perhaps a state record. The Mounties survived No. 11 Canyons in Saturday's semifinals, 70-68.

The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in California community college women's basketball may be tipping off Sunday at 4 p.m., but, of course, Ventura College coach Ned Mircetic is treating the game like any other:

"It's a big game, in once sense. In another, it's not."

"Mount SAC is always a big game, but so is Moorpark. I think we have to approach it as just that. A big game on our schedule, but every game is a big game on our schedule.

"If we give it too much attention, then we're setting ourselves up to fail.

"We're going to treat Mount SAC like we always do, with respect, and we're going to prepare to play the best we can."

"We're going to keep it in perspective as one of our 27 scheduled contests before the playoffs."

Final scores from the Southern California regional football semifinals:

No. 1 Canyons (12-0) 36, No. 4 El Camino (10-2) 27
No. 3 Mount San Antonio (11-1) 34, No. 2 Fullerton (10-2) 27 2OT

The two winners will play the Southern California championship game, Dec. 6, at College of the Canyons.

The Southern California champion will face the Northern champion, Butte (11-0), at Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, on Dec. 13.

Ventura College guard Dee Pinkard, who missed the end of his freshman campaign with a knee injury, seems to be turning a corner.

The Hueneme High graduate had a big game in the Ventura College men's basketball team's best game thus far this season, a 97-77 win over Santa Barbara City.

Pinkard had eight points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, one block and two steals.

"And he's going to get better each week as he gets in better shape from the injury," said coach Will Cowen.

One day after suffering its first loss of the season, the Moorpark College men's basketball team rebounded with a 84-65 win over Los Angeles Southwest in the consolation game of its Thanksgiving Classic.

Los Angeles Valley pulled off a nice upset win on Fullerton, 66-63, in the final.

According to Star teammate Ivan Yeo:

"Moorpark played a lot better this time around. Still committed a lot of turnovers (17), but they forced 19 themselves and were able to get points off them unlike last night.

"Southwest actually hung around for a while. They were within three at one point in the first half and were down by 10, but Moorpark went on a 16-0 run and held Southwest scoreless for almost eight minutes.

"(B.J.) Wortham was the man again with 18 points.

Championship game was more exciting. It came down to the final seconds. Valley won it 66-63. Valley's Hortsman hit the winner with 20 seconds left. Fullerton had one last chance to win it, but a 3-point attempt rimmed out. Valley split two FTs then steal the length-of-the-court pass to seal it. Hortsman was named MVP."

The Oxnard College men's basketball team fell to No. 4 San Bernardino Valley, 87-71, Saturday night in the second semifinal of the Condor Classic.

Bernard Burrell scored a team-high 23 points and Jonathan Johnson and Marc Pujund added 17 and 12 points, respectively.

That wraps up the pairings for Sunday.

Condor Classic
1 p.m. -- Consolation final: West Los Angeles vs. Los Angeles Harbor
3 p.m. -- Third-place game: Santa Barbara City at Oxnard
5 p.m. -- Championship: Ventura vs. No. 4 San Bernardino

VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions
12 p.m. -- Consolation final: Imperial Valley vs. Contra Costa
2 p.m. -- Third-place game: San Jose vs. No. 11 Canyons
4 p.m. -- Championship: No. 1 Mount SAC at No. 2 Ventura

Notre Dame brought its 167-year-old marching band to the Coliseum Saturday for the 80th USC-Notre Dame game and it was well worth it.

Best halftime performance by a marching band I've ever seen.

I will attempt to find something on youtube tonight or tomorrow. Hopefully there is some record of a truly breathtaking performance.

LOS ANGELES -- Before Brandon Walker's 41-yard field goal broke up the shutout in the fourth quarter of the USC football team's 38-3 win over Notre Dame Saturday night at the Coliseum, USC had scored 76 consecutive points over the Fighting Irish, dating back to 2006.

It wasn't his greatest performance, but Jimmy Clausen had the greatest quarterback of all-time waiting for him after Notre Dame lost 38-3 to USC Saturday night at the Coliseum.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana was waiting with Clausen's family.

Clausen then told the assembled reporters:

"I was frustrated a little bit," said Clausen. "They were getting pressure by rushing just four and it disrupted everything else.

"They are one of the top defenses in the country, if not the best. They have one of the fastest pass rushes we've faced."

He supported embattled head coach Charlie Weis.

"Coach Weis was not the reason we lost today. It was the guys on the field."

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis on his team's 38-3 loss to USC:

"Give credit to USC. They are a fine team. Their defense whipped us pretty good tonight until the end of the third quarter. They felt they could stop us with just their front seven and they were able to do it. Their pass rush was able to get to us without bringing heat."

"USC's defense led to our defense wearing down and giving up big plays. Some guys started to press and make big plays to change momentum and try to do too much and not do their jobs, starting to overcompensate.

(On QB Jimmy Clausen)

"He was under duress -- on fundamental pass plays. The problem was he was under duress with four rushers and that's what puts you in a bind."

(On his thoughts at the half)

"As we sat at the half down 24-0, the big issue was, the team played with emotion. But the emotion only carried so far until it gave out. I was concerned with how much the team had left. But they came out in the second half and fought their butts off."

(At where Notre Dame is compared to where it wants to be)

"USC is the team that you have to look at when you look at playing for championships. You see the discrepancy between them and us is wide. If you ever want to be a championship team, that's what you have to be. You have to beat a team like that."

The 80th game between USC and Notre Dame was marred by altercations in the tunnel before the game and an on-field fight in the fourth quarter that led to the ejections of USC's Malik Jackson and Notre Dame's Robert Hughes.

USC head coach Pete Carroll:
"It's never happened since we've been there. The control of having the teams come down was not well done.
"Their team had been held from passing. Blame it on anybody. It just shouldn't have happened."
"They weren't fighting. They were just jawing and getting all jacked up. That's not supposed to happen."
"They was some chippy stuff going on out there and that's not who we are."

USC linebacker Brian Cushing
"It really comes down to it being the heat of the rivalry. Those guys came across the country and didn't want to be disrespected and neither did we. It was really just a mix of emotions and everybody was hyped up. I'm not sure who started it, but neither backed off."

Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis
""I was on the 50-yard line, so I didn't see it... but there was some jawing in the tunnel... some pushing and shoving."

Pete Carroll improved to 27-0 in November and 7-1 against Notre Dame as USC coach.

"We're playing the best we've ever played," said Carroll of the USC defense. "I love the defense we had in '03... but no one has ever played this good. You can't score on them."

"It was a tremendous, consistent job of controlling the line of scrimmage. It just seemed like series after series nothing happened. We really didn't have to do much."

"What a terrific night for our seniors. Everyone in the program was dedicated throughout the week. We wanted this to be a great experience for the seniores tonight and it's great to go out as Pac-10 champs. The seniors have been a huge part of our success over the past few years. With guys like Cush, Rey, Kaluka, Fili, Moore, Clay, we're going to miss all those guys. They've give so much to this program, and I'm glad they've been able to receive so much as well.

"We're not done yet, though. We get one more chance to go across town. I couldn't be more proud of all these guys, of what they've accomplished, of playing with purpose, and by the way, how about Joe? What a great run tonight. I loved it."

"When played like we know how," said senior defensive end Clay Matthews, an Agoura High product. "When we do that, we can't be beat."

"Everything came together," said senior defensive back Josh Pinkard, a Hueneme High product. "We're just doing things right."

Freshmen Chanelle Brennan and Erika Ward had 17 points apiece as the Ventura College women's basketball team routed San Jose, 80-41, in the semifinals of the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions Saturday night at the VC Athletic Event Center.

Ventura (7-0) had five players in double figures. A 25-0 run midway through the first half put the Pirates ahead 38-16, before leading 45-20 at the half.

The win sets up a No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown with three-time defending champion Mount San Antonio College Sunday at 4 p.m. The Mounties have won this tournament five straight years.

Brandon Walker's 41-yard field goal gets Notre Dame on the board with 11:45 to play.

USC was less than 12 minutes away from shutting out Notre Dame in consecutive seasons for the first time in 75 years.

The Trojans had previously shut out the Irish once in 45 years.

Notre Dame didn't gain a first down until James Aldridge's 15-yard run on the final play of the third quarter.

The Irish had gained 23 yards on the previous 39 plays from scrimmage. Aldridge then followed with 40 yards over four straight runs.

Perhaps keeping an opponent from gaining a first down is the football equivalent of pitching a perfect game.

Both Notre Dame and USC entered the 80th revival of their long-running rivalry with 223 first downs this season.

Late in the third quarter, the Irish, who trail 31-0, have yet to an add another to that figure.

Notre Dame has 17 yards and no first downs on 23 offensive plays with 5 minutes to play in the third quarter.

Down 24-0 in the third quarter at USC, Notre Dame is on its way to losing for the 14th time in its last 15 meetings against opposition ranked in the Top 5.

Five of those losses were to the Trojans.

With Oregon State trailing 44-24 in the third quarter of the Civil War, No. 5 USC seems destined for yet another Rose Bowl trip, this time against Penn State.

USC allowed 9 yards and no first downs in taking a 24-0 halftime lead over Notre Dame.

At the Condor Classic at Oxnard College

Ventura 97, Santa Barbara City 77 FINAL

Ventura moves on to Saturday's final at 5 p.m. against either No. 4 San Bernardino Valley or county-rival Oxnard.

At the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions

No. 1 Mount San Antonio 70, No. 11 Canyons 68 FINAL

The five-time defending tournament champion, Mount SAC advances to Saturday's final at 4 p.m.

The USC football team took a 14-0 lead on Notre Dame on Joe McKnight's longest run of the season.

The 55-yard touchdown run puts the Trojans up two touchdowns with nine minutes left in the first half.

The score followed Jimmy Clausen's second interception of the game, which was tipped by Rey Maualuga and snagged by Kaluka Maiava.

Stafon Johnson's 2-yard touchdown run with 4:06 left in the first quarter is the first touchdown Notre Dame has allowed in the first quarter since Sept. 22.

The run completed a 12-play, 79-yard USC drive that lasted 7:11.

At the Condor Classic at Oxnard College

Ventura 48, Santa Barbara City 32 HALF

At the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions

No. 1 Mount San Antonio 32, No. 11 Canyons 27 HALF

LOS ANGELES -- Two of the first five plays from scrimmage are interceptions as Cary Harris leaps to intercept Jimmy Clausen's third down pass and, two plays later, Robert Butler jumped all over a slant route on Mark Sanchez's first pass of the game.

Hueneme High product Josh Pinkard, Agoura High product Clay Matthews and former St. Bonaventure High student Rey Maualuga were three of the USC football team's seniors who ran out out of the Coliseum tunnel and onto the field for the final time this evening on Senior Day.

One day after suffering its first loss of the season, the Moorpark College men's basketball team rebounded with a 84-65 win over Los Angeles Southwest in the consolation game of its Thanksgiving Classic.

Other early scores from the holiday tournaments.

Condor Classic consolation semifinals

West Los Angeles 70, Compton 59
Los Angeles Harbor 78, Vandenberg AFB 68
West L.A. and L.A. Harbor will have an all-Los Angeles consolation final Sunday at 1 p.m.

VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions

Contra Costa 63, Porterville 57
Imperial Valley 59, Taft 53
Contra Costa and Imperial Valley advance to Saturday's noon consolation final.

LOS ANGELES -- We're here live at the Coliseum to bring you live news and notes from the 80th all-time meeting between Notre Dame and USC.

The Notre Dame band, in its 168th year, plays the Notre Dame victory march, in its 100th anniversary year.

Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, the Oaks Christian School product, has never lost a game in the state of California or to a school from California. He was 42-0 in high school and is 2-0 against Stanford and 1-0 against both San Diego State and UCLA.

VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions
Ventura 87, Taft 52: VC runs past Taft by Ted Cotti in Ventura.
San Jose City 67, Imperial Valley 31
Canyons 92, Contra Costa 34
Mount San Antonio 78, Porterville 42

Moorpark Thanksgiving Classic
Fullerton 76, Moorpark 62: Moorpark suffers first defeat by Ivan Yeo in Moorpark
Los Angeles Valley 85, Los Angeles Southwest 67

Condor Classic
Ventura 88, Compton 81: Danny Benson scored 21 points. Prince Abidoye and Anthony Burtley added 12 points each. Will Faiivae scored 11 points and Dee Pinkard had 10. The Pirates will play Santa Barbara City today at 5 p.m.
Santa Barbara City 85, West Los Angeles 76
San Bernardino Valley def. Los Angeles Harbor
Oxnard 65, Vandenberg AFB 57: Matt Dewaal led the Condors with 20 points. John Johnson and Bernard Burrell each scored 11 points. Marc Pajund added 10 points. The Condors advance to the semifinals to play San Bernardino Valley at 7 tonight.

In a matchup of the No. 16 and No. 17 teams in the state, Moorpark College men's basketball team is struggling tonight against Fullerton in the semifinals of its Thanksgiving tournament.

The Raiders (6-0) have only converted four field goals and trail 41-23 at the half.

The first half was marred by four technical fouls

Chanelle Brennen had a team-high 19 points as the Ventura College women's basketball team, ranked No. 2 in the state, moved to the semifinals of its Tournament of Champions Friday night witha 87-51 win over visiting Taft at the VC Athletic Event Center.

Erika Ward had 18 points, Julie Heurung had 17 points and Amanda Padilla added 10 assists for the Pirates (6-0).

At the Moorpark College Thanksgiving Holiday tournament, Los Angeles Valley defeats Los Angeles Southwest, 85-67, to move to Saturday's final.

The Monarchs await the winner of the Game of the Night, unbeaten and No. 16-ranked Moorpark's visit from powerful and No. 17 ranked Fullerton.

No. 1 Mount San Antonio College and No. 11 College of the Canyons advance in the first two games of the VC-Kiwanis Tournament of Champions Friday afternoon at the VC Athletic Events Center.

Mount SAC (7-0) hammered Porterville, 78-42. Canyons (5-3) pounded Contra Costa, 92-34.

They will contest an anticipated 5 p.m. semifinal Saturday.

Danny Benson scored 21 points as the Ventura College men's basketball team improved to 5-3 with an 88-81 win over Compton College in the quarterfinals of the Condor Classic Friday afternoon at Oxnard College.

Santa Barbara City beat West Los Angeles, 85-76, in the first quarterfinal. So Ventura will play conference-rival Santa Barbara City 5 p.m. Saturday in the first semifinal.

Coach Ned Mircetic, attempting to win two games in two different cities in the same day, was pleased with the win:

"We have the capacity to be a good team. It's clear as day."

Here are the community college men's basketball previews, which ran over the past week:

Moorpark College: Contender or pretender? by Joe Curley
Ventura College: VC pressing on as issues from last season linger by Joe Curley
Oxnard College: Oxnard expects road will be bumpy by Joe Curley

Click on the jump for the preview boxes for all three schools.

The Ventura College women's soccer team, ranked No. 5 in the nation, was upset 2-0 Tuesday in the regional semifinals by San Diego Mesa.

Coach Steve Hoffman responded after the game to Star teammate Jeffrey Dransfeldt:

"The other team played better than we did. That's the game of soccer. You can't give away two goals like that and expect to win. It had nothing to do with the weather. We came out a little bit flat. They're a good team."

Hoffman highlighted the absence of Lauren Nelson, who didn't play as the result of two yellow cards against Southwestern.

"(Against) Southwest we came out for 15 minutes and played well before (we went flat) and played like that. Tonight we just had no energy."

"They knew how we played and did a good job with their defensive structure. What they did is they played very deep so we couldn't get behind them, which is tactically smart."

"That's one of the best teams we've played this year."

Hoffman also mentioned the 16 freshmen who will return to the program next season, along with five redshirts and a fresh incoming class.

It's official. For the second straight year, the Ventura College football team lead the state in pass defense this season.

The Pirates topped the state in yards allowed per game (137.6), yards allowed per completion (10.3) and passing touchdowns against (6).

"The good news is that we've led the state in pass defense for two
years and hopefully have started a new tradition," wrote secondary coach Tom Lawrence in an e-mail.

"The bad news is we have to replace three starters in the secondary."

Star safety Travaun Nixon, who led the Northern Conference in tackles, will be the only returning starter in the secondary next fall.

The Ventura College women's soccer team just can't seem to get back-to-back wins in the Southern California regional playoffs.

The Pirates, who fell 2-0 to San Diego Mesa in the regional semifinals Tuesday, dropped to 0-7 since 1997 after opening the playoffs with in a win.

Ventura had snapped its four-game playoff losing streak with a 2-1 win over Southwestern Saturday.

Perhaps the two teams which had the best falls in county community college athletics had their seasons shockingly ended at home early Tuesday night.

The Ventura College women's soccer team, seeded No. 2 in Southern California and ranked No. 5 in the nation, had its 18-game undefeated streak ended 2-0 by No. 7 San Diego Mesa in the regional semifinals at the VC Sportsplex.

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team, seeded No. 4 in Southern California and ranked No. 5 in the state, had its 12-game winning streak snapped 3-0 by No. 13 Cypress in the regional semifinals at Raider Pavilion.

Neither team had lost since September.

San Diego Mesa scored twice in the first 13 minutes and kept a clean sheet to eliminate the Ventura College women's soccer team, 2-0, in the Southern California regional semifinals on a rainy Tuesday night at the VC Sportsplex.

The Pirates (18-2-3) allowed more than one goal for the first time in 17 matches and were shut out for the first time this season.

Ventura College men's basketball coach Ned Mircetic spoke to HomefieldSports.com about the Pirates' win Tuesday night over Canyons.

"Probably the best adjustment was I think the kids needed to come out (in the second half) with a little more sense of purpose," said Mircetic.

"The scoring has been shared much of the year. For those two guys (Prince Abidoye and Danny Benson) to step up and score a little bit more was much appreciated."

The Ventura College men's basketball team improves to 4-3 with a 84-67 win over College of the Canyons Tuesday night at the VC Athletic Event Center.

Prince Abidoye had 25 points, including 23 in the second half, and Danny Benson added 21 points for the Pirates. The previous single-game high for a VC player this season was 20.

"Coach just told us to be aggressive," Abidoye told HomefieldSports.com. "He said we weren't playing hard enough."

Canyons (1-5) has now lost to all three Ventura County schools -- Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura in order.

Prince Abidoye has 17 second-half points as the Ventura College men's basketball team leads Canyons 75-63 with less than three minutes to play at the VC Athletic Event Center.

Ventura has outscored Canyons 39-20 in the second half.

The Ventura College women's soccer team, ranked No. 5 in the nation, trails San Diego Mesa 2-0 in the 66th minute in the Southern California regional semifinals at the VC Sportsplex.

Prince Abidoye's dunk gives the Pirates their biggest lead of the night. The sophomore has 16 points.

Canyons is close to being swept by all three county programs.

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team, ranked No. 5 in the state, is swept out of the Southern California regional playoffs by No. 13-seed Cypress Tuesday night at Raider Pavilion.

Cypress wins 25-20, 26-24, 27-25.

Prince Abidoye's 3-point play gives VC a 64-55 lead with less than eight minutes to play against Canyons.

Trailing 2-0 at the half, the VC women's soccer team needs goals.

Looking to go back over .500, the Ventura College men's basketball team has pulled even with Canyons 49-49 with 12:20 to play at VC Athletic Event Center.

Jordan Harris' layup makes it 52-49 VC with under 12 to play.

In fact, Mike Diacos swishes a 3-pointer to give the Pirates their biggest lead at 55-51.

The Raiders are 17 points from elimination.

Despite two late aces by Kayla Ingraham, the No. 4-seeded Moorpark College women's volleyball team is on upset alert.

Visiting Cypress leads two games to none at Raider Pavilion after pulling out the second game, 26-24.

Savannah Thomas has eight kills to lead Moorpark (20-4), followed by six kills and eight digs for Una Siljegovic. Rachel Olinyk has seven blocks.

Forty five minutes remain for the Pirates to avoid the upset.

Esparza, Mesa's second goalscorer, seemed to injure an ankle in the 38th minute.

Down 21-18 in the second game, the Moorpark College women's volleyball team is four points from being backed into a 2-0 corner in the its postseason debut against No. 13 Cypress.

Canyons finishes strong to take a 43-37 lead at the half against the Ventura College men's basketball team.

The teams were tied with five minutes to play in the half.

Danny Benson has a team-high 13 points for Ventura (3-3). Canyons' Jason Holzwarth has a game-high 15.

The Raiders are in a battle with a tough team from the Orange Empire Conference.

"Both teams got out of system a lot, but Cypress is smaller and faster and have improvised a lot more," reports Star teammate Ryan Gorcey from Raider Pavilion.

5:33 left in the first half at the VC Athletic Event Center

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team, seeded No. 4 in the Southern California regional playoffs, trails No. 13 Cypress 22-17 in the first game at Raider Pavilion.

Sola Esparza converts on a breakaway to give visiting San Diego Mesa a shocking 2-0 lead over the No. 2-seeded Ventura College women's soccer team after 13 minutes in the Southern California regional semifinals at the VC Sportsplex.

"(Mesa) has been much more aggressive at start," reports Star teammate Jeff Dransfeldt from the VC Sportsplex. "It's the same as Saturday, VC is taking a while to get going."

Jeremiah Slowik's layup gives the Ventura College men's basketball team an early 21-20 lead over College of the Canyons tonight at the VC Sportsplex.

You can listen live at http://www.HomefieldSports.com.

Rough start for the Ventura College women's soccer team, which falls behind San Diego Mesa 1-0 in the first 60 seconds in the teams' Southern California regional semifinal Tuesday night at the VC Sportsplex.

Oxnard College star guard Ryan McLucas may be lost for the season.

Doctors last week found a cyst behind the sore knee of the former Rio Mesa High standout, who was averaging 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game before missing Saturday's overtime win at College of the Canyon.

He is expected to be lost for the remainder of the season.

"That's what it looks like," said head coach Jason Cunningham. "The doctor's prescription was for him to take six weeks off... We've talked about him getting a medical (redshirt)."

Losing perhaps its best two-way player, who Cunningham calls "the best defender in the WSC," is just the latest blow to a promising season.

McLucas' injury means a starting place for St. Bonaventure High product Nick Molina, who Cunningham called "another tough kid defensively" and "court savvy."

Many of McLucas' shots may go to freshman Marc Pajund, a high-scoring wing from Compton Centennial.

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team (20-4), ranked No. 5 in the state, begins the Southern California regional playoffs tonight at home against Cypress College.

The No. 4-seeded Raiders knew it would see a team from the powerful Orange Empire Conference at some point in the postseason.

"You know how I love to play the Orange Empire," said Moorpark College coach Steve Burkhart. "We're going to represent the WSC North."

"It's kind of funny the way it worked out. Cypress was originally the 10th seed. They fell to No. 13 because they couldn't play any other OEC team and there was five in the Top 10.

Cypress features freshman outside hitter Marina Samoa, who leads the state with 4.76 kills per game.

"As far as my team is concerned, it's like, OK, we've got to beat all comers," said Burkhart. "We're ready and we've got a home game.

Click the jump for the full pairings.

The Moorpark College men's basketball team (5-0) is up to No. 16 in this week's state coaches' poll, No. 8 in Southern California.

The Raiders host their annual Thanksgiving Holiday tournament this weekend, with a potential meeting with powerful Fullerton looming Friday night at Raider Pavilion.

Defending state champion Citrus (6-0) regained the top spot in the state.

Ventura (3-3) and Oxnard (1-4) remain unranked.

Click the jump for the full polls.

Thousand Oaks High product Matt Luft, Harvard's leading receiver, had three catches for 43 yards in freezing temperatures Saturday afternoon as the Crimson defeated Yale, 10-0, in the 125th playing of The Game at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Mass.

Ventura College freshman safety Travaun Nixon is the local highlight to the inaugural All-Northern Conference football team.

The Hueneme High product, who led the conference with 81 tackles and finished third with three interceptions, was the only local unanimous first-team All-Northern Conference team.

Two other Pirates, receiver Nick Karam and defensive end Ricky Grant, joined Nixon on the first team.

Karam led the conference in kick returning (27.5 yards per return) and finished third in punt returning (12.2 yards per return).

Moorpark had five second-team selections, quarterback Donald Senegal, center Steve Josker, receiver Mark Urbina, defensive end James Brito-White, and linebacker Miller Aupiu Jr.

Ventura had six players on the second team, quarterback Lee Mondol, running back Michael Lee, defensive tackle Josh Aguirre, linebacker Trevor Lyne, cornerback Byron Sells and punter Alvaro Perez.

Mondol lead the conference in passing yards (2,128), touchdowns (22) and finished second in total offense (217.9 yards per game).

Moorpark star running back Danny Mosier, who rushed for 640 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing nearly half the season, was left off the team.

No surprises in the results of Saturday night's Southern California regional football quarterfinals:

No. 1 Canyons 41, No. 8 Antelope Valley 17
No. 2 Fullerton 26, No. 7 San Diego Mesa
No. 3 Mount San Antonio 52, No. 6 Hancock 14
No. 4 El Camino 31, No. 5 Saddleback 28

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team was seeded No. 4 in the Southern California regional playoffs Sunday.

In search of its first trip to the state championships since 2003, the Raiders (20-4) will host No. 13 Cypress Tuesday night at 7 at Raider Pavilion in the regional semifinals.

It was Moorpark College product Nico Grasu who decided the first Pacific-10 Conference matchup between two 10-loss teams Saturday in Pullman.

Grasu kicked the game-tying and game-winning field goals for Washington State in Saturday's 16-13 overtime win over rival Washington.

Here are today's stories in The Spokesman Review and the Olympian.

Jocelyn Coney pounced on a rebound in the 89th minute to put the No. 2-seeded Ventura College women's soccer team into the regional semifinals with a 2-1 win over No. 15 Southwestern Saturday night at the VC Sportsplex.

The deciding goal caused some controversy as Coney put away a loose ball that the Southwestern goalie had fumbled. The referee and linesman conferred before allowing the goal.

"I'm being really honest with you, it was a goal," said Ventura coach Steve Hoffman.

"Their coach was more complaining about the first goal."

Ventura's first goal came with a Southwestern player down behind the play.

"We haven't gotten the luck in the playoffs over the past five years," said Hoffman. "We'll take it."

Ventura will play No. 7 San Diego Mesa, which beat Santa Barbara City 1-0, Tuesday night at 7.

The Ventura College women's basketball team, ranked No. 2 in the state, improves to 5-0 with a 58-49 win over Antelope Valley at the VC Athletic Event Center.

Donielle Griggs had a team-high 16 points and Michelle Santizo added 14 points for the Pirates, which beat the Mauraders twice in five days.

The Oxnard College men's soccer team was eliminated by Los Angeles Harbor, 3-0, Saturday evening in the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs.

The Condors (10-8-3), who remain winless on artificial surfaces this season, couldn't overcome the sending off of midfielder Jonny Martinez in the 10th minute.

Alyssa Burriciega equalizes for Southwestern in the 26th minute and the score holds until halftime in the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs at the VC Sportsplex.

Attempting for two straight wins over the Mauraders, the Ventura College women's basketball team leads visiting Antelope Valley at the half, 34-28, at the VC Athletic Events Center.

Jazmarae Strozier sets up Carissa Arce for the Pirates' opening goal seven minutes in.

The Oxnard College men's soccer team has a mountain to climb to stay in the Southern California regional playoffs.

The No. 11-seeded Condors trail 2-0 at the half at Los Angeles Harbor in Wilmington and midfielder Johnny Martinez has been sent off.

The Oxnard College men's basketball team survived overtime to pick up its first win of the season, 75-71, at College of the Canyons Saturday afternoon.

After a turnover-full 40 minutes, point guard Jonathan Johnson helped the Condors (1-4) score the first six points of overtime along the way to breaking their four-game losing streak.

After a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes, the Moorpark College women's soccer team was eliminated on penalty kicks, 3-0, in the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs by Los Angeles Pierce.

Pierce's Stephanie Cubias equalizes with four minutes to play. Extra time looms at Moorpark between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.

Moorpark is looking for its first playoff win in two years, while Pierce is looking for its first playoff win in three years.

Brianna Miller's 28th minute goal gives the Moorpark College women's soccer team a 1-0 halftime lead over visiting Los Angeles Pierce Saturday afternoon.

The No. 8 Raiders lead WSC South power after 45 minutes.

Winless on artificial surface this season, the Oxnard College men's soccer team appreciated the opportunity to practice at the VC Sportsplex Thursday ahead of tonight's Southern California regional playoff match on turf at Los Angeles Harbor.

"(Ventura women's soccer coach) Steve Hoffman was really nice," said Oxnard coach Ross Greaney. "Hopefully, it'll help."

The No. 11-seeded Condors are feeling as strong as they have all season ahead of their match with the No. 6 Seahawks.

"We have a chance," said Greaney. "It's a happier, stronger team. I don't think we've been really fit until now."

Harbor is led by Alex Casillas, who has scored 23 goals and assisted on 17 others.

"He's supposed to be really good," said Greaney.

Jessica Jameson, a 6-foot forward who started 29 of 34 games as a freshman last season, has left the Ventura College women's basketball team.

"She's got other plans for her life and basketball wasn't one of them," said coach Ned Mircetic. "It's too bad that her heart wasn't in it, but it's OK because she's in a happier place."

Jameson, a Buena High graduate, averaged 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a freshman. She was averaging 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds through four games as a sophomore.

Jameson's loss means more minutes for sophomore Julie Heuring and Christine McPherson, as well as freshmen Kris King and Chanelle Brennan.

The Southern California regional soccer playoffs open today across the Southland.

Here's the feature I wrote on Ventura College women's soccer star Jazmarae Strozier.

The Ventura College football team finished led Southern California inpass defense for the second straight season, allowing a paltry 137.6 yards per game.

"It was a goal we had all season," said secondary coach Tom Lawrence.

The Pirates did so primarily with an all-county starting secondary of Bryon Sells (Westlake High), Dakota Holland (Moorpark High), Travaun Nixon (Hueneme High) and James Jackson (Oxnard High).

Ventura also allowed a region-low six passing touchdowns.

Lawrence may be moved to linebackers to replace retiring veteran Gary Anglin.

Looking to move to 5-0, the Moorpark College men's basketball team leads visiting Orange Coast, 45-30, in the first half at Raider Pavilion.

One of the lasting memories of the Ventura College football team's 35-13 Citrus Cup win Saturday at Larrabee Stadium was the sight of veteran coach Gary Anglin, cup in hand, being lifted on his player's shoulders after the end of his 29th and final VC football season.

"I was honored but I was also a little embarrassed," said Anglin. "That was a team victory."

Anglin gave the pregame speech.

"There's just a lot of great memories," said Anglin. "To beat Moorpark in our final game at Larrabee Stadium is special."

The Moorpark College women's volleyball team completed the job in style Tuesday night.

The Raiders, ranked No. 4 in the state coaches' poll, swept cross-county rival Ventura for the second time to wrap up a perfect 10-0 Western State Conference North Division
championship campaign.

"Our outside hitters have done a great job the whole year," said coach Steve Burkhart.

"Our middles have just gotten better. Rachel Olinyk has blossomed before our eyes."

While outside hitters Savannah Thomas and Una Siljegovic have been a terrible twosome for opponents to defend, middle blocker Olinyk leads the state with 1.96 blocks per game.

"This team reminds me so much of 1996, when we had Kristin Lee and... we didn't have a dominant setter," said Burkhart. "We made it to the state tournament.

"Our mantra the whole year has been find a way to win three games."

Moorpark's sixth WSC title is its first since 2003. The next goal is to move on to the state championships next month at Pasadena City College.

"There was a time when the winner of the WSC North was almost always in the state tournament," said Burkhart. "That hasn't been the way the last few years."

"We're hoping to represent the conference."

Moorpark could be seeded anywhere from third to fifth when the Southern California regional playoffs begin Tuesday with a home match at Raider Pavilion.

In the wake of his termination by the Ventura County Community College District's Board of Trustees, former Oxnard College men's basketball coach Jeff Theiler wrote an e-mail to the board Wednesday.

Click the jump to read to e-mail in its entirety.

Community college soccer playoff brackets can be found here.

Former Oxnard College men's basketball coach Jeff Theiler had many supportive speakers at Tuesday's Board of Trustees meeting at Moorpark College.

None was more heartfelt than his wife, Jennifer Theiler.

"This is not just his career," she said. "It's his life."

Only three of the five board members were present to hear all the speakers before Theiler was terminated by a 4-0 vote. Arturo Hernandez arrived late and Cheryl Heitmann was absent.

"I want to coach basketball," Theiler told the three present board members. "I want to get back to helping the young people of this district."

Ventura College freshman Jazmarae Strozier led the WSC North in women's soccer scoring with 44 points, 17 goals and 10 assists.

No. 2 seed Ventura hosts No. 15 Southwestern in the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs Saturday at 7 p.m..

The Ventura College women's soccer team was seeded second in the Southern California regional playoffs Tuesday. The No. 2 Pirates (17-1-3) will host No. 15 Southwestern (15-3-3) Saturday night at 7 at the VC Sportsplex.

"It doesn't matter who we play," said coach Steve Hoffman. "It matters how we play."

Only two teams in Southern California scored more than the 76 goals Southwestern has scored this season.

"Southwestern could have won that (Pacific Coast) conference," said Hoffman.

Moorpark (12-4-4) was seeded No. 8 and earned a home draw against No. 9 Los Angeles Pierce Saturday.

The Oxnard College men's soccer team (10-7-5) earned its third straight playoff berth. The Condors were seeded No. 11 and will visit No. 6 Los Angeles Harbor (15-6-2) in Wilmington Saturday at 6 p.m.

Add a college football playoff to the list of pressing issues on the priority list of president-elect Barack Obama.

This is what Obama said on 60 Minutes Sunday night:

"This important...I think any sensible person would say that if you have a bunch of teams that played throughout the season and many of them have one loss or two loss, there's no clear decisive winner, then we should be creating a playoff system.

"Eight teams. That would be three rounds to determine a national champion. It would add three extra weeks to the regular season. You can trim back on the regular season.

"I don't know any serious fan of college football that has disagreed with me on this, so I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do."

The wait has lasted more than a year, but here's the first glimpse of what Walter Johnson's investigation of the Oxnard College and Ventura College men's basketball programs has uncovered.

The Ventura College women's soccer team, Western State Conference champion in 12 of the past 13 seasons, is hoping for the first No. 1 seeding in its short-but-illustrious history Tuesday when the state coaches' association releases the pairings for the Southern California regional playoffs.

The Pirates (17-1-3) currently sit atop the power rankings used to determine the field at CCSoccerNews.com, but coach Steve Hoffman said Saturday that those numbers are incomplete and he expects a No. 2 seed.

The Moorpark College women (12-4-4) and Oxnard College men (10-7-5) are also in line for potential postseason bids.

The Moorpark College men's basketball team, 4-0 for the first time since 2000-01, make its debut in the state coaches' poll this week at No. 17.

The Raiders also rose nine spots to No. 8 in the Southern California poll.

Click the jump for the full state poll, which is headlined by No. 1 Fresno, No. 2 Citrus and No. 3 Bakersfield.

The Ventura College women's basketball team (4-0) remains No. 2 in the second state coaches' poll.

The Pirates are also No. 2 in the Southern California poll, trailing three-time defending state champion Mount San Antonio (5-0) in both polls.

Click the jump to see the full poll.

Freshman Erika Ward earned Most Valuable Player honors and sophomore Michelle Santizo joined her on the all-tournament team as the Ventura College women's basketball team defeated Antelope Valley, 72-57, to capture the Vaquero Shootout at Glendale College Sunday evening.

Ventura (4-0), ranked No. 2 in the state, lead by 24 points with two minutes to play. Antelope Valley is No. 6 in the South.

The Ventura College women's basketball team leads Antelope Valley, 35-26, at halftime of the final of the Vaquero Shootout at Glendale College.

Click the jump for the California community college football playoff pairings and bowl matches. At 5-5 and 4-6, respectively, the Ventura College and Moorpark College seasons are over.

Community college football

Ventura 35, Moorpark 13: Pirates take a stand by Joe Curley in Ventura

NCAA Division III football

Cal Lutheran 24, Redlands 17: Defense carries CLU by David Lassen in Redlands

Locals in college notebook

Transfer worked out well for McDonald by Rhiannon Potkey

NCAA Division I football

USC 45, Stanford 23: USC powers its way to payback by Josh Dubow, Associated Press in Palo Alto

Tiffany Hurd, who had 37 points in a loss last week to Riverside, scored 17 points as the Moorpark College women's basketball team fell to No. 3-ranked Palomar, 71-65, Saturday night at Raider Pavilion.

The Ventura College women's basketball team, ranked No. 2 in the state, improved to 3-0 with a 78-41 win over Santa Ana in the semifinals of the Vaquero Shootout at Glendale College.

Erika Ward had 16 points, Michelle Santizo had 14 points and Kristine McPherson added 10 points.

The Pirates will play Antelope Valley in the tournament final Sunday at 4 p.m.

In a battle of winless teams, the Oxnard College men's basketball team fell to 0-4 with a 77-75 loss at Los Angeles Harbor.

Ventura 35, Moorpark 13 -- FINAL

Will Faiivae had 10 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks as the Ventura College men's basketball team improved to 3-3 with a 77-72 win over Santa Monica in the consolation championship of the Irvine Valley tournament.

Point guard Mike Diacos had a team high 11 points as the Pirates had 21 assists against only 12 turnovers.

Ventura improved to 2-1 this weekend without head coach Ned Mircetic, who was with the VC women's team.

"All these close games teach them character," said Mircetic from Ventura, where he was preparing for the VC women's game tonight against Santa Ana in Glendale. "I feel good about the weekend."

Full box after jump.

Although it sits atop the power rankings in Southern California, the Ventura College women's soccer teams expects to the No. 2 seed in the Southern California regional playoffs when the pairings are released Monday.

"It looks like we may be (No. 2)," wrote head coach Steve Hoffman via text message Saturday.

The rest of the pairings are predicted to be No. 1 Cerritos, No. 3 Cypress, No. 4 Cuyamaca, No. 5 Mount San Antonio, and No. 6 Santiago Canyon.

The No. 7 Ventura College men's water polo team fell 15-10 to No. 3 Long Beach City Saturday morning in the Southern California semifinals.

The Pirates will play Grossmont at 1:30 p.m. in the third-place game for a state tournament berth.

It took overtime for No. 3 seed Long Beach City to eliminate the Ventura College women's water polo team, 8-7, Friday night in the Southern California quarterfinals in Huntington Beach.

Roxy Hacock had three goals and Alana Altmann added two goals for Ventura.

Jaimey Farranto scored in the 65th minutes as the Ventura College women's soccer team, ranked No. 5 in the nation by the NSCAA, completed a perfect 10-0 WSC North campaign with a 1-0 win over host Cuesta in San Luis Obispo.

Aslyn Rau made six saves for VC (17-1-3) and Jessica Bowman picked up another assist.

Click the jump for notes from Cuesta College Sports Information:

The Moorpark College men's basketball team leads visiting East Los Angeles, 62-51, with 15 minutes to play at Raider Pavilion.

The Raiders (3-0) led 49-37 at the half after hitting 10 3-pointers.

Jeremy Allen scored four goals as the No. 7 Ventura College men's water polo team upset No. 2 seed Orange Coast Friday afternoon in Huntington Beach.

The Pirates will play Long Beach City Saturday morning at 9:45 in the Southern California semifinals. They need to finish in third place to reach the state tournament.

Prince Abidoye had 16 points and Danny Benson had 12 points as the Ventura College men's basketball team improves to 2-3 with a 66-64 win over Imperial Valley in the consolation round of the Irvine Valley tournament.

Abidoye made 8 of 12 from the free throw line. Freshman Randy Hunter added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Ventura will play Santa Monica Saturday at noon in the consolation finals.

The Pirates recovered from missing several potential game-winning opportunities in a 72-71 loss against Long Beach City Friday night, despite 20 points from Benson and nine rebounds from Hunter.

Freshmen Erika Ward and Chanelle Brennan scored 18 points apiece as the Ventura College women's basketball team improved to 2-0 with a 74-52 win over Fullerton Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Vaquero Shootout at Glendale College.

The Pirates (2-0), ranked No. 2 in the state, will face Santa Ana at 7 p.m. in Saturday's semifinals.

All-time: Moorpark leads series, 21-19. Total points: Moorpark 982, Ventura 783.

Click on the jump for the full year-by-year history.

Click on the jump for my capsule preview of the 41st Citrus Cup football game between Moorpark College and Ventura College Saturday night at Larrabee Stadium.

The Ventura College women's soccer team has won 11 other Western State Conference titles.

But these Pirates will achieve something the program has never accomplished before when they finish the regular season today ranked No. 5 in the national poll put together by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

"Going into every season, you hope you do well," said coach Steve Hoffman. "But these kids deserve this recognition... It's special."

Depending on the results Friday, Ventura (16-1-3) could also earn the top seed in the Southern California regional playoffs for the first time Tuesday.

"The best we've been seeded before is No. 2," said Hoffman.

Ventura is currently in the top position in the ratings percentage index used to seed the postseason, with Cerritos and Cypress trailing close behind.

With two rollercoaster seasons to scout, the Moorpark College and Ventura College football staffs are certainly putting in overtime this week ahead of the 41st Citrus Cup game at Larrabee Stadium.

The county's two community college football programs combined to win six of their seven
games, then conspired to drop eight in a row before both landing on 4-5 entering the final week of the season.

"I'd like to know which is the real Ventura team," said Moorpark coach Jim Bittner.

"Against Hancock they looked like a very average team. Against Bakersfield they looked like a very good team."

A key moment in the Ventura College basketball seasons occurred Thursday afternoon when the men's and women's teams split for the first time and head coach Ned Mircetic stayed in Ventura with the women.

Assistant coaches Jon Wyers and Will Cowen took the Ventura men to the Irvine Valley tournament, while Mircetic and assistant coach Robin Hester will coach the Ventura women in this weekend's Vaquero Shootout at Glendale College.

The Pirates have known the split was coming since Mircetic was asked to coach both teams in May.

"We've prepared for this," said Mircetic. "I'm not a designated ruler, I've shared in the decision making with both of them.

"I think it's working out pretty well."

Neither Wyers nor Cowen has been designated the head coach when the team is without Mircetic. Both will stand up in the coaching box this weekend.

"I told them to take turns," said Mircetic. "We can't ask the players to put the team first if we put our own egos ahead of it.

"I'll tell you, I feel pretty good about the whole thing...It's working out better than I imagined it would."

Both Ventura College water polo teams play Southern California regional playoff games today.

The No. 7 seed VC men (16-8), who defeated Riverside (16-15) 13-11 Wednesday, will face No. 2 Orange Coast (17-7) in Huntington Beach.

Sophomore Jeremy Allen leads the Pirates with 68 goals, followed by Mike Crowley (39), Hayden Adler (31) and Mike Lee (31).

The No. 6 seed VC women (18-9) will play No. 3 Long Beach City (23-6), which handed the Pirates their worst loss of the season, 11-5, Oct. 17.

"That was a bad day for us," said Ventura coach Mary Giles.

Sophomore Bonny Bordwell, who also stars on the VC swimming and track teams, leads the team with 45 goals.

"We've got nothing to lose," said Bordwell. "Beating Citrus (for the WSC title) was a nerve-racking game."

Moorpark 89, Barstow 76 FINAL

More to come.

-Dwight Jones has 11 points at halftime.
-Moorpark was 6 of 10 from 3-point land and had 10 steals at halftime.
-Down 10-3, Moorpark ripped off a 15-2 run midway through the first half.

Also Oxnard trails Trade-Tech 72-59 with 3:06 to play at Condor Center.

Ventura defeated Riverside 13-11 Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs in Huntington Beach. The No. 7 seeded Pirates will face No. 2 Orange Coast Friday.

Jeremy Allen, Tyler Pool and Hayden Adler scored four goals apiece. Mike Crowley had another and Lance Park made six blocks.

The win, VC's first in the playoffs since 2003, broke a three-game postseason losing streak.

Point guard Jonathan Johnson and center Matt Dewaal, who missed the Condors' 0-2 start last weekend, are in uniform and playing tonight against Los Angeles Trade-Tech.

We've tipped off at Raider Pavilion.

Moorpark 33, Barstow 20 7:33 left first half

-Down 10-3, Moorpark ripped off a 15-2 run midway through the first half.

Also Oxnard leads Trade-Tech 16-8, after two Ryan McLucas 3s.

Here's coach Ned Mircetic's interview with HomefieldSport.com's Danny Page after the Ventura College women's basketball team's 57-46 season-opening win over El Camino College Tuesday night.

Ventura leads 54-42 0:34 second half.

Listen live here.

Jocelyn Coney's breakaway goal in the 86th minute gave the Ventura College women's soccer team a 1-0 win at Santa Barbara City Tuesday afternoon, ensuring the Pirates' 12th WSC North title in 13 years.

It took three tries, but Ventura coach Steve Hoffman received a celebratory ice-water dumping by his players.

The Ventura College women's soccer team is 10 minutes from another WSC title.

Needing a point to secure the 12th WSC North title in 13 years, the Pirates are even, 0-0, in the 80th minute at Santa Barbara City.

Both teams had first-half goals disallowed.

Ventura College goakeeper Adilene Pimentel saved Danna Wahlund's breakaway in the 70th minute and Santa Barbara goalkeeper Meghan Maiwald tipped Jaz Strozier's header in the six-yard box over the crossbar with eight minutes to play.

After Monday's football practice, Gary Anglin told his Ventura College linebackers that lining up against cross-county rival Moorpark College was a fitting end to any season.

And any career.

Anglin, 57, has spent 34 of the past 39 years in the Pirates' football program as a player and coach. Saturday's 41st Citrus Cup game against Moorpark College will be his final football game in orange and black.

"It's a lot of years," said Anglin, who will rejoin the school's baseball program in the summer as an assistant to head coach Don Adams.

"I can't believe it... To me, it's the greatest."

The Citrus Cup won't be the only spoils for the team that wins the annual football game between Moorpark College and Ventura College Saturday at Larrabee Stadium.

Both teams are 4-5 overall and 1-4 in the Southern California Football Association's Northern Conference, which means the winner will finish .500 and the loser could, depending how Glendale fares against Pasadena City, sink to a last-place finish.

Such a fate could put the losing team in jeopardy of relegation into the second tier of SCFA football come the end of the 2009 season, per SCFA bylaws.

"When you put it that way, we may throw the game," joked Moorpark coach Jim Bittner, who been critical of the new multi-tiered system.

"If you had told me we'd be playing Ventura to see who finishes last, I would have told you that can't happen.

"It's a big game on a lot of fronts."

The Ventura College women's soccer team (14-1-3) travels to Santa Barbara City (11-1-5) this afternoon looking to regain its Western State Conference crown.

In a meeting of teams ranked No. 7 and No. 14 nationally, the Pirates need a tie to clinch their 12th WSC North title in 13 seasons.

"We're ready to go," said coach Steve Hoffman. "I told (the players) today, 'Last year, we were a crossbar away from winning the league. This year, we need to sew it up (today)'."

Santa Barbara, which hasn't lost at home in more than two seasons, can't afford a tie.

"They've got to come out and try to beat us," said Hoffman. "They're going to go for it. It should be interesting."

The Ventura College women's basketball team, ranked No. 2 in the state preseason poll, opens its season 6 p.m. tonight against El Camino College at the VC Athletic Event Center.

The Pirates return starting point guard Michelle Santizo and starting center Julie Heurung, as well as 2006-07 honorable mention All-American Jessi Selleh, who missed last season with a back injury.

The debut of heralded recruit Erika Ward, another Royal High product, the game will be first of many this season broadcast online at http://www.HomefieldSports.com.

The game will also reunite the VC coaching staff with former assistant coach Reggie Ellis, who spent six years with the Pirates before moving south and joining the staff at the Torrance school.

Two-a-day practices are back in style for the Cal Lutheran women's volleyball team.

A new season dawned on Monday when the Regals received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships.

Cal Lutheran (21-8), seeded No. 3 in the West Region, opens against No. 6 Puget Sound (17-7) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at the University of La Verne. The winner plays No. 2 Cal State East Bay (29-4).

"I really, really like our chances," CLU head coach Kellee Roesel said. "I feel like we are playing our best volleyball, and I don't think there is any question in our kids' minds they can win it all. Believing is a huge part of it."

CLU, ranked No. 3 in the West Region and No. 15 nationally, finished second behind La Verne in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

After the Regals were left out of last year's tournament, Roesel wasn't taking anything for granted until the confirmation phone call arrived.

"I was pretty sure, but you never know how they figure the math percentages sometimes," Roesel said. "I was more worried about where I would coach next year if we didn't make it. That would have killed me."

The WSC champion Ventura College men's water polo team will open the Southern California regional playoffs Wednesday afternoon at noon in Huntington Beach. The Pirates, seeded No. 7, will play No. 10 Orange Coast at Golden West College.

The winner will play No. 2 Orange Coast Friday.

"It was what I expected," said coach Mark Schmidt. "I had us down at No. 7... It worked out the way I thought."

The recipient of a first-round bye, the WSC champion Ventura College women's water polo team will open the Southern California regional playoffs Friday afternoon in Huntington Beach. The Pirates, seeded No. 6, will play No. 3 Long Beach City at Golden West College.

"I'm happy we don't have to play Wednesday," said coach Mary Giles. "Long Beach is a tough matchup."

Saddleback beat Ventura in the third-place game, 73-67, and Bakersfield defeated Pasadena City, 78-72, in the final.

The All-Tournament Team:

From the Consolation Champions Antelope Valley- Rod Singleton
From 3rd Place Saddleback- Franklin Session
From Runner Up Pasadena- Elliot Barry
From Champion Bakersfield- Jamar Harrison
MVP from Bakersfield- Darrin Dorsey.

Here's how the Moorpark College men's basketball team improved to 2-0 Saturday night.