Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Whittier College Men's Water Polo team took on No. 8 Long Beach State in their final non-conference game of the season Thursday night but couldn't overcome a three goal deficit at the half as they fell 15-8.
Whittier drops to 13-9, 2-0 SCIAC and finish 2015 non-conference play 11-9.
The first quarter saw a combined eight goals scored, four from each team. The Beach started off the match with a 2-0 lead. The first was off an-exclusion within the first minute of play and the second came on a five-meter.
Eoghan Foley (Sterling, VA) gave the Poets their first two goals of the match. Foley had the put back goal at the five-minute mark to put the team on the scoreboard. In between goals, LBSU would add another before Foley would notch his second of the game at the 4:14 mark after working inside, which cut the 49er lead to 3-2.
Zacchary Kappos extended the 49ers lead to 4-2 with a goal from the perimeter at the 2:40. Whittier though answered with a pair of goals, the first from Aiden Tol (Tustin, Calif.), and the second from Massimiliano Mirarchi (Rome, Italy) that tied the game up with just 30 seconds left to play in the period.
The second period moved at a slower pace with only three goals being scored, all by Long Beach State, which gave them a three-goal lead at the half 7-4.
The Poets struck first in the second half cutting the deficit to two coming from Mirarchi with less than a minute off the clock. LBSU though would earn another man-up opportunity and despite a strong defensive stop by the Purple & Gold, the 49ers would get a goal on their next possession that put the Beach up four.
Gavin Kerr helped keep the Poets in the game with his first goal midway through the third period, putting Whittier down by just three. But in the fourth, LBSU would pick up their offense adding another three with two coming on man-ups that put the game out of reach.
Austin Ringheim (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and Marino Fatovic (Dubrovnik, Croatia) would both add goals in the fourth but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Poets fell 15-8.
In goal for the Purple & Gold Andrew Wettstead (Fresno, Calif.) finished with six saves.
After an alumni game tomorrow, Saturday, October 24 beginning at 11:00am, Whittier returns to conference play next Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00pm as they host Pomona-Pitzer.
