LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Oct. 22, 2025) – The Whittier College men's water polo team went toe-to-toe with No. 7 Occidental in its first overtime contest of the season, ultimately falling 12-15 on the road Wednesday night at De Mandel Aquatics Center.
Facing one of the top programs in Division III, the Poets showed fight throughout, rallying from a three-goal deficit after the opening quarter to even the match in the second half. Whittier trailed 8-7 heading into the fourth, then used timely goals and a strong defensive stretch to push the game into overtime.
Sophomore attacker Zander Montoya (La Verne, Calif. / Damien) led the charge with a team-high three goals, while Ethan Klerck (Cape Town, South Africa / South African First Division) converted twice on extra-man opportunities. The Poets spread the scoring throughout the lineup, with contributions coming from every field position, including tallies from Brody Haney (Tustin, Calif. / Beckman / Mt. Saint Mary's University), Louis Grandi (Marseille, France / St. Joseph / Westcliff University / Riverside City College), and several others. Conner Rocha (Paso Robles, Calif. / Paso Robles / Cuesta College) and Alberto Seva (Barcelona, Spain / San Pedro / Westcliff University) each added assists to round out the balanced effort.
The Poets were exceptional on the counter and in transition, winning all six opening sprints to control early possessions in every period. Goalkeeper Jose Silva Zito (São Paulo, Brazil / Escola Viva / Golden West College) recorded nine saves in all 38 minutes of action and helped anchor a defense that forced multiple turnovers and drew 11 exclusions.
Despite the overtime loss, Whittier's offensive depth and endurance were on full display, matching the Tigers goal-for-goal through regulation and continuing to pressure deep into the extra periods.
With the result, the Poets move to 13-8 overall and 3-4 in SCIAC play. Head Coach Preslav Djippov and Whittier will travel to Huntington Beach on Sunday, Oct. 26, for a non-conference matchup against Golden West College at 11 a.m.
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