Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 28, 2023) – Senior
Ben Ramans (Los Altos, Calif. / St. Francis) of the Whittier College men's water polo team shone bright with a career performance against McKendree University in the nightcap of this year's Whittier Mini. The Poets hosted Biola University during the day before turning around to take on the Bearcats under the lights at the Slade Aquatics Center.
Biola 24, Whittier 5
The Poets knew they had a tough out in Biola University for Thursday's early afternoon game, but the Poets managed to provide consistent scoring throughout all four quarters in the face of a bigger and more experienced Eagles squad. Junior goalie
Kenshiro Matsuzawa (Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan / St. Francis Brooklyn) registered a 10 save game once again, this time needing only three quarters to hit double-digits before giving way to senior
Jackson Chamberlain (Greenwich, Conn. / Avon Old Farms) for the final quarter. Chamberlain went on to stop two Biola shots in relief of Matsuzawa.
Chamberlain holds the distinction of being the first Poet in recent memory to record a save and a goal in the same game, as he found the back of the net in the third quarter. Ramans opened scoring for the Poets while sophomore
Alberto Seva (Barcelona, Spain / Westcliff University), and sophomore
Brody Haney (Tustin, Calif. / Mt. Saint Mary's University) each found pay dirt, with Haney's two goals leading the way for the Purple & Gold. Junior
Cardin Chavez (University Place, Wash. Westcliff University) assisted on one of Haney's goals.
McKendree 21, Whittier 10
Behind Ramans' impressive marks, the Poets hit double-digit goals for the third time this season, and scored their most goals since they played Occidental College at this past weekend's MPSF Invite. The home team hung with McKendree early on, with Ramans opening scoring 41 seconds into the game. From there, the Poets kept the pressure on the visiting team, with Ramans going on to score four more times, with each shot seemingly more impressive than the last. He finished the game with five goals, a career-high, and also assisted on one additional goal to give him a career-high in points.
Ramans was not the only Poet to enjoy an impressive offensive day. Haney, the Poets' scrappy utility player, had perhaps his best game as a Poet to date with two goals and three assists, assisting on multiple Ramans goals. Senior
Nick Coltrin (Livermore, Calif. / Granada), who typically features on sprints, notched the first goal of his intercollegiate water polo career when he beat the McKendree goalkeeper from the right side in the first quarter, which actually gave the Poets a brief lead. Seva, meanwhile, had two goals while freshman
Julian Breck (Norwalk, Calif. / La Serna) also found the back of the net to make his way onto the score sheet. Matsuzawa stopped nine shots, playing the entire game for Whittier.
Head Coach
Preslav Djippov and the Poets will continue their busy weekend at the annual Gary Troyer Tournament. They will take on Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in non-SCIAC fare on Friday at 1:40 p.m. before taking on the University of California, Merced later in the day.
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