WHITTIER, Calif. (Oct. 23, 2024) – Freshman
Zander Montoya (La Verne, Calif. / Damien) of the Whittier College men's water polo team scored three times against a tough California Lutheran University team on Wednesday night. All three of his goals came on five-meter penalty shots; a direct result of what ended up being a physical game.
The game resulted in the Poets' home winning streak in 2024 coming to an end at an even eight. Nevertheless, the Poets' offense still managed to reach double-digit goals, and given the conference parity this year, SCIAC Postseason Tournament positions will continue to be variable until season's end.
Whittier had to overcome a tough start, but after the first period outscored the Kingsmen, 7-4 over the game's final 17 minutes. Freshman
Ivan Cubelic (Split, Croatia / Solaris) got the Poets on the board early with a quick goal on the powerplay, a strong point for the Poets on Wednesday night. In fact, each of the home team's first four goals of the game came with either a man up or on five-meter penalty shots. Another strong point for the Poets proved to be freshman
Zander Huynh (Irvine, Calif. / Beckman), who won three of four sprints and added a goal midway through the third period as part of his team's late surge.
Head Coach
Preslav Djippov and the Poets will hit the road this weekend to take on the University of California San Diego in La Jolla on Saturday, Oct. 26.
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