Sophomore Aleigha Binda attempts a shot on goal. Binda leads the team with 14 goals on the season.
With a new home pool, a new coach and an almost entirely new team, the Jaguars women’s water polo program has entered a new chapter.
The Jaguars won their inaugural home game in the Exercise Science and Wellness Center in entertaining fashion, holding off a late comeback against San Diego Miramar College for an 8-7 victory.
Unfortunately, that was their last win of the season as they have gone on to lose their last six games, dropping their record to 2-10.
Though this may only be her first year in charge, head coach Alissa Mashburn set the tone early in the season that this team will compete, no matter the scoreboard result.
“A successful season for us would see us being competitive in conference and playing with 100 percent effort every game,” Mashburn said.
Mashburn praised her team’s growth, while adding that this year’s effort is laying a strong foundation for the program moving forward.
“As a team in the short season that it is, the effort has been getting better and better each day,” she said. “I do think we are heading in the right direction and gaining a lot of traction.”
Though the team has not seen the results they hoped for, sophomore Aleigha Binda has been a bright spot for the Jags. Binda has been a key part of their attack as she leads the team with 13 goals, eight assists and 14 steals. Mashburn said Binda’s impact has been invaluable to the Jaguars.
“She has had a huge impact on our team in terms of her scoring and her positivity,” she said. “As a co-captain, I could not have asked for more in my first year of coaching. Her strong ability to lead the team, motivate the team and to steer us in the direction we need to go.”
Though they will be losing their leader and leading goal scorer, they will head into the offseason with the next best thing in their second leading goal scorer and co-captain Nickie Torres, along with goalkeeper Josie Fiokla. With leadership and experience on their side, the Jaguars hope to rise from the depths of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference to ascend to being a quality program.
