Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
ORANGE, Calif. – The Whittier College Men's Water Polo team suffered their second loss in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play Wednesday evening as they fell in sudden death overtime 18-17 to Chapman University.
Despite an eight goal effort once again by sophomore Massimiliano Mirarchi (Rome, Italy), the Purple & Gold were still unable to stop the offensive attack by the Panthers as they gave up their 17th double digit goal effort of the season.
It was a physical contest in front of a hostile crowd at Allred Pool. Chapman held a slight advantage throughout going in front 5-4 after the first eight minutes and holding onto an 8-7 lead at the break.
In the third, both teams combined for six goals with the deficit remaining at one heading into the fourth in favor of CU. Then in the fourth, Chapman added back to back strikes to extend their lead to three 13-10. Yet the Poets would find a way to fight back adding four unanswered with goals coming from Austin Ringheim (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and Mirarchi (3) that gave Whittier their first lead of the game 14-13 with two minutes to play.
This lead would hold for the next 1:50 until an under-the-gun shot by Garrett Aanestad with nine seconds left in regulation that would be the equalizer Chapman needed as they would send it to OT.
In the first overtime, Mirarchi and Julian Droetti (Irvine, Calif.) would combo to put the Poets up one. Droetti would add another in the second with 1:12 to play but again the Panthers would somehow find the game-tying goal with under ten seconds to play this time from Willis Allen that sent the game into sudden death.
Then in the sudden death OT, Chapman managed to get the game winner that sealed the upset with just 1:33 left from Corey Plaster, which completed his hat trick.
Nikolas Gregov (Homestead, Calif.) led the Poets in goal with seven saves, while Stephen Neil for CU totaled a season high 17.
Whittier rounds out their regular season schedule tomorrow, Saturday, November 14 as they host La Verne on Senior Day. Game time set for 11:00am.
