THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (Oct. 21, 2023) – Five different players on the Whittier College men's water polo team scored goals in Saturday's SCIAC game at California Lutheran University.
The Poets were coming off another busy week, and capped it with a game against the Kingsmen in which they managed to score goals in all four quarters of the game. Senior center Ben Ramans (Los Altos, Calif. / St. Francis) got things started for Whittier by scoring just 39 seconds into the game, giving the visiting team a quick 1-0 advantage. However, the host Kingsmen would soon show why they are a perennial threat for the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, though a late-quarter exclusion paved the way for sophomore Alberto Seva (Barcelona, Spain / Westcliff University) to bury one of his two goals of the game on a power play to close the period.
Seva made his presence felt in more ways than one, drawing a team-high three exclusions while swiping a pair of steals to match a team-best total with freshman teammate Dylan Zeledon (Orlando, Fla. / Apopka). Zeledon had Whittier's only two assists of the game, acting as a conduit for goal scorers such as Seva and Ramans. Sophomore Brody Haney also scored, as did junior Cardin Chavez (University Place, Wash. / Curtis | Westcliff University) and senior Jackson Chamberlain (Greenwich, Conn. / Avon Old Farms) on his only shot of the game, no less. With the men's swimming and diving team competing in the MPSF Open Water 5K Event in Long Beach, the Poets did retain the services of junior Nick Coltrin (Livermore, Calif. / Granada) for this game, who halved on sprints with his Cal Lutheran counterparts.
Elsewhere, freshman Ethan Gates (San Bernardino, Calif. / Cajon) drew the start as goalkeeper in relief of junior transfer Kenshiro Matsuzawa (Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan / Yachiyo | St. Francis Brooklyn). Gates acquitted himself well by making 10 saves while also notching a steal.
Head Coach Preslav Djippov and the Poets will return home for their next SCIAC game on Wednesday, Oct. 25, when they host defending Division III National Champion University of Redlands at 7 p.m.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!
