Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Whittier College Men's Water Polo team used a big fourth quarter with six unanswered to route the Tigers of Occidental College 17-9 Wednesday evening.
With the win, the Poets improve to 13-8, and remain undefeated in conference play at 2-0.
Following the first 16 minutes of action the game was deadlocked at 7-7 with the Purple & Gold getting three goals from Massimiliano Mirarchi (Rome, Italy). In the third, the Poets and Tigers would swap goals early but WC would close out the frame on a 3-1 run with all three goals coming from Mirarchi that gave them a small cushion 11-9.
But in the fourth it was all Whittier as they would run off six straight, while holding Oxy scoreless that led to the lopsided victory on the road. Mirarchi finished with six goals for the game stretching his SCIAC lead in goals to 14, ten more than Tommy Turner from Pomona-Pitzer who is in second place, while Gavin Kerr (Palo Alto, Calif.) totaled three.
All four goalies for the Poets played during the game. Nikolas Gregov (Homestead, Calif.) started picking up four saves. Oliver Bineth (Budapest, Hungary) had three, and Christopher Ibarra (Chino, Calif.) would have one.
Whittier has a match-up with No. 7 Long Beach State this evening, Thursday, October 22 beginning at 7:00pm before they take on the alumni this Saturday, October 24 starting at 11:00am.
