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The first match of the 2017-18 season for Fallbrook High School's girls water polo team was tied at seven goals apiece before Rancho Buena Vista scored to give the Longhorns an 8-7 victory Nov. 28 at The Wave in Vista.
"We ended up losing a close one," said Fallbrook coach Sean Redmond.
The Warriors trailed by a 3-0 margin at the end of the first quarter, and the Longhorns increased their lead to 4-0 during the second period. Between the final two minutes of the second quarter and the end of the third quarter, Fallbrook scored seven straight goals for a 7-4 lead.
The Longhorns, however, staged their own comeback, scoring all four of the fourth-period goals.
"They had a couple of quick goals and we just weren't able to recover from it," Redmond said.
Only six of this season's 14 varsity players were on the 2016-17 Warriors team that won its third consecutive Valley League championship and had an overall record of 16-13, including a first-round win and a quarterfinals loss in the CIF Division I playoffs. Only three of last season's starters are on the current team.
"They definitely learned a lot from it," said Redmond of the season opener.
Although the Warriors allowed the Longhorns to overcome a three-goal deficit, Redmond noted that his team overcame an early four-goal deficit.
"Overall I was happy with it," said Redmond of his team's performance. "I thought we did a great job. We can compete with them."
Rancho Buena Vista's previous game was also a loss in the CIF Division I quarterfinals, and the 2016-17 Longhorns had a 16-11 overall record.
Redmond considers pre-league games and tournaments to be preparation for Valley League and CIF playoff competition.
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us but fortunately we've got a lot of time between now and the end of February," said Redmond. "I'm looking forward to it."
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