ORANGE, CA. (Oct. 28, 2023)- The men traveled to Chapman to take on the Panthers in a SCIAC showdown. Chapman is currently the #4 ranked team in the nation and would prove to be a tough matchup for Whittier. The Panthers would defeat the Poets by a final score of 18-5. 

Chapman got off to an early advantage, as they were able to go on a 3 goal run to start the game. Then Ben Ramans got the Poets on the board with a nice goal, with about a minute left in the first period. 

Beginning the second quarter, the Panthers had a 3-1 lead and were looking to extend it. However Whittier was not going away and their solid defense prevented many scoring opportunities from Chapman early. Julien Breck (Norwalk, Calif., La Serna HS) and Brody Haney (Tustin, Calif., Beckman HS, Mt. Saint Mary's University) then answered for the Poets and tied the game up at 3. The Panthers would go on one more small run to end the quarter and lead 5-3 at halftime. 

As the second half began, Chapman came out looking to break away. The Panthers scored 6 goals in the third quarter and held the Poets to 0. Headed to the final period the score was 11-3. 

In the final quarter, the Panthers continued their scoring to the tune of 7 more goals. Alberto Seva (Barcelona, Spain, , Westcliff University) was also able to get in on the goal scoring action, as he netted 2 goals in this final period. Despite their strong first half, Whittier could not get much going in the second and would lose 18-5. 

Whittier had 4 different goal scorers this game, which was great to see them moving the ball around. Kenshiro Matsuzawa (Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan, Yachiyo HS, St. Francis Brooklyn) was also strong in the goal today for the Poets as he came away with an outstanding 15 blocks. The Poets will be back in action next Wednesday as they will be hosting the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. This SCIAC game will begin at 7:00.

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