Photo by: Davis Gerber
Video by: Whittier College Sports Network
IRVINE, Calif. – The Whittier College men's water polo team wrapped up the Lancer Invite Saturday afternoon and finished the tournament 3-1 achieving wins over host Cal Baptist, La Verne, and Chapman before falling to Redlands.
Whittier improves to 5-6 overall for the season.
Game 1 (Cal Baptist – W, 12-9)
Whittier opened up the invite against the host school Cal Baptist. Two years ago these two programs matched up against each other and Whittier was on the wrong end of an 18-8 loss but this time around the Poets got the best of the Lancers using a big fourth quarter to pull of the three goal victory.
After both teams swapped goals in the first quarter, the Poets used a five goal second led by Goran Mataic (Split, Croatia) (2) to take a 6-4 lead into the break. Out of intermission both teams added another two goals to keep the goal differential at two but in the fourth the Poets edged the Lancers by a goal that gave them the three goal victory.
Filip Delic (Split, Croatia), Nicolas Beavers (Long Beach, Calif.), and Roman Novak (Almaty, Kazakhstan) each added two goals apiece, while Wedge Molthen (Buena Park, Calif.), Marko Zuric (Split, Croatia) and Douglas Marriott (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) added a goal.
Game 2 (La Verne – W, 13-7)
In a match-up that did not have the SCIAC implications on the line, the Poets still came out victors adding five goals in the first, one in the second, five in the third, and two in the fourth en route to the 13-7 victory. After jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, the Leopards came back chipping away at the lead pulling within two 5-3. Despite only scoring a goal in the second stanza from Mataic, the Poet defense held strong keeping La Verne from finding the back of the goal holding onto a 6-3 at the break.
Out of intermission, the Poets came out firing on all cylinders adding another five goals thanks to Mataic who helped move the lead to 11-6 with two of his own. In the final frame the stifling Poet defense continued to wreak havoc on the Leopard offense holding them to just one goal, while adding another two themselves from Carlos Panfilo (Boyle Heights, Calif.) and Marko Miocic (Great Neck, N.Y.).
Other goals came from Delic (2), Beavers, Novak, Christian Sook (Hanford, Calif.), Julian Droetti (Irvine, Calif.), and Molthen.
Game 3 (Redlands – L, 9-5)
In the first game of day two of the Invite the Poets found themselves matched up against a very tough Redlands program in yet another game that had no SCIAC implications on the line.
For the first time in the tournament the Poets were held to just one goal in the first period coming from Marriott, while seeing the Bulldogs race out to a 3-1 lead. After each program added another two goals in the second period keeping the goal differential at two the Poets found themselves go cold in the third being held scoreless, while Redlands would add another three to move their lead to 8-3. In the final quarter, despite adding two goals from Novak and Marriott it wasn't enough as UR would add a goal late that proved to be insurance as the Bulldogs held on for the victory.
Game 4 (Chapman – W, 5-0 Forfeit)
Chapman decided not to take part in day two of the Invitational so the Poets got an automatic win against them but took on the Cal Baptist "B" squad instead. The end result was a 14-9 loss. This gave Head Coach Justin Pudwill an opportunity to see everyone play and give his starters some much needed rest. In this contest the Poets saw Eoghan Foley (Sterling, VA) add a season high three goals, both Erick Gonzalez (Commerce, Calif.), Tucker Vejsicky (Irvine, Calif.), Hunter Pelletier (Miami, FL), and Daniel Cox (South Lake, TX) each add their first goals of the invitational.
Whittier returns to the pool when they travel into Los Angeles to take on the Trojans of USC on Saturday, September 28 at 11:30am before hosting Princeton and Claremont-M-S on Sunday, September 29 at 1:00pm and 4:00pm.
