Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College men's water polo team extended their winning streak to five games with a 13-7 victory over the Tigers of Occidental College Saturday morning at the Lillian Slade Aquatic Center.
Whittier now improves to 10-11, 5-0 SCIAC and remains tied for first in the SCIAC standings with Pomona-Pitzer who they match-up against on Wednesday, October 24 on the road beginning at 4:00pm.
This marks the first time Whittier has won five straight SCIAC contests since the 2009 season when they won seven straight to close out the regular season before falling in the SCIAC Championship Semi-Finals to Claremont-M-S 6-5.
The Purple & Gold opened up the game with four unanswered goals from Kyle Catino, Cameron Rehm, and Eoghan Foley (2) to go with a suffering defense that drew multiple turnovers and difficult shots taken later in the shot clock from the Tigers.
In the second quarter though the tides turned as Occidental held the Poets to a mere one goal from Rehm, while adding two themselves from Stabenfeldt and Akiyama that pulled the Tigers within three going into the break.
Coming out of the half, Occidental had an opportunity early to pull within two with a man up situation but Whittier's defense held tough not allowing the goal. On the counter, Whittier's Goran Mataic added his first goal from the center position sparking a 4-0 run by the Poets that opened the game up to 9-2. During this run, Catino and Mataic added two goals apiece.
After a wasted man up situation from both teams over a minutes span late in the quarter, the Poets were able to find their fifth goal of the frame from Erick Bonander that put the Poets up comfortably 10-2 heading into the fourth.
In the final quarter, the Tigers held the advantage 5-3 getting goals at the 6:35 and 5:35 marks that pulled them within seven but the Whittier offense was too much as Christian Sook, Kevin Scott, and Daniel Cox helped the Poets cruise to the six goal victory.
