Palomar downs Mesa 9-7, will play for PCAC title Saturday

CHULA VISTA (10-31-2018) / (UPDATED 11-04-2018) – Kevin McCollum scored two late goals to break a 7-7 tie and give Palomar's men's water polo team a 9-7 victory over San Diego Mesa on the first day of the two-day, Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship tournament on Friday at Southwestern College.

Palomar advances to play regular-season champion Grossmont for the conference title on Saturday at 1 p.m. Saturday for the conference title.

McCollum, a freshman 2-meter attacker out of Fallbrook High School, scored off an assist from Zane Bentley, a freshman out of Murrieta Mesa High, to give the Comets an 8-7 lead, then put the game away with an unassisted goal that upped the final score to 9-7.

Coach Kody Moffatt's Palomar team, the second-place finisher behind regular-season champion Grossmont in the conference, move on to Saturday when the Comets will attempt to win the PCAC championship. The regular season determines seedings for the conference tournament, where the official PCAC champion is determined.

McCollum (2 goals, 3 steals, 1 assist) was joined with multiple goals for Palomar by Chase Norfolk, a freshman from Fallbrook High (2 goals, 3 steals) and Bentley (2 goals, 2 steals, 1 assist.

Bryan Van Kamp, a sophomore out of Valley Center High, contributed 4 assists, 3 steals and a block.