MERCED -- West Valley men's water polo dropped a heartbreaker against Orange Coast College in the State Championship Semifinal, falling to the Pirates, 11-10.

The Vikings (31-4, 7-0 Coast) were strong on offense in the first three quarters and at one point late in the third, held an 8-5 lead. But on the other side, the Pirates (27-10, 5-2 OEC) played lockdown defense that became even harder to pass as the game went on and staved off a last-second effort to reach the State Championship game.

The game started ominously for the Vikings, allowing four possessions for the Pirates on their first touch of the ball. Viking goalie Lucas Rocha Gentil made a couple strong saves but couldn't save the fourth touch from Pirate attacker Sawyer McCormick, allowing the Pirates to jump out to an early lead.

West Valley and Orange Coast yo-yoed through the first half, knotted at three halfway through the second period. McCormick was the Pirates' go-to option to score early in possessions, but the Vikings countered with a balanced attack led by Coast-MVP Makar Salnikov.

One of the major differences in the early portion of the contest was West Valley's struggle in man-up situations, as the Vikings converted just one-of-six power play opportunities early on. When West Valley extended its lead to a game-high three in the third quarter, Orange Coast scored five straight to take the lead, two of which came in power play scenarios.

Down one in the fourth quarter, Peter Kohari opened the scoring for the Vikings by zipping one through the hands of goalie Gage Fojtasek. The keeper knocked it down, but his second touch crossed the goal line to give West Valley the equalizer.

Orange Coast scored on its next possession before West Valley answered on its next. Both teams played scoreless thanks to terrific defense and goalkeeping before Jack McCann punched one in with 1:04 to play.

Man-up scenarios, which haunted the Vikings on both sides of the ball, ended up being the difference. McCann's winner happened after a Viking exclusion.

West Valley forced a turnover with just 11 seconds to play, but the Vikings couldn't convert and threw the ball past the lane line to cement the Orange Coast victory.

Next, the Vikings take on Long Beach City College in a battle for third place in California today at 9:30 AM.