SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The second day of the
Bronco Tournament hosted by Santa Clara University fared better for
the Whittier College men's water polo team. The Poets opened the
morning with a 10-5 win over Cal Lutheran before it suffered an 8-3
loss to No. 15 UC Davis.
Whittier (5-7) rebounded nicely from its 11-10 setback to the
Cal Lutheran on September 19. The Kingsmen scored with five seconds
to play in the fourth quarter to shock the Poets. This time around
Cal Lutheran wasn't as fortunate.
The purple and gold jumped out to a 4-1 lead at the end of the
first quarter. Cal Lu scored its only goal on a 5m penalty shot.
The Poets extended their lead to 6-2 at the half.
WC continued to pressure their Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe with a three goal third.
The fourth quarter proved to e the only quarter the Poets would be
outscored. CLU tallied two fourth quarter scores but WC went on for
the five-goal win.
All-American goalie Casey Regehr made 13 saves
which includes nine in the first half.
Rilesh Desai and Alex Perry
dished out two assists apiece while Brandon Babot
drew three ejections and notched four goals.
In the second game of the day for Whittier, UC Davis used
a four-goal second quarter to hand the Poets the loss.
WC held tight with the fifteenth ranked team in the country,
2-2, through the first quarter but the Aggies outscored the purple
and gold 4-0 in the second frame.
UCD tacked on two more goals in the third quarter to Whittier's
one and both teams were held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Regehr made 12 stops and had three steals. Perry scored both of
his goals in the first quarter and Robert Nihei
registered the third quarter goal.
Desai and Cameron Lew each
drew one ejection.
Whittier returns to action next weekend with six games over a
three-day period. The Poets get a taste of the East coast in three
of their four games during the Claremont Convergence. WC opens with
Washington & Jefferson on October 2 and face Air Force in the
second game of the day.
The Poets continue play on Saturday, October 3, with Johns
Hopkins and Fordham before it closes out the weekend with games
against UC Santa Barbara and Concordia (Calif.) on Sunday, October
4.
