LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Whittier College men's water polo team picked up a hard-fought 19-17 victory over the Occidental Tigers on Wednesday. In a back-and-forth conference matchup, the Poets used a four-goal stretch in the fourth quarter to pull ahead and secure the win.
Occidental opened the scoring just 37 seconds into the contest, but Tal Fotin answered for Whittier on a power play with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers reclaimed the advantage before Jason Dickson converted another man-up opportunity to even the score at 2-2. Occidental responded with a goal of its own, but Sebastian Cadena found the back of the net to bring the Poets level again.
The teams continued to exchange goals in the closing minute. After the Tigers moved ahead 4-3, Pedro Carvalho answered with 29 seconds remaining. However, Occidental scored with six seconds left to take a 5-4 lead into the second period.
The Tigers carried their momentum into the second quarter, scoring twice in the opening two minutes to extend their advantage to 7-4.
Dickson helped Whittier get back on track with consecutive goals, including a penalty shot, to cut the deficit to 7-6 with 4:28 remaining in the half.
Occidental answered with two straight goals to restore its three-goal cushion, but the Poets responded with an offensive surge of their own.
Cadena started the rally with his second goal of the game before Zander Huynh added another just 27 seconds later. Dickson followed with his fourth goal of the half to even the score at 9-9.
Louis Hackett capped off the four-goal run with a power-play goal in the final 29 seconds, sending Whittier into halftime with a 10-9 advantage.
The Poets extended their lead early in the third quarter when Daniel Totev converted a man-up opportunity to make it 11-9.
After Occidental answered, Cadena struck again to restore the two-goal margin. Ivan Cardenas then added another power-play goal with 4:06 remaining, giving Whittier its largest lead of the game at 13-10.
The Tigers refused to go away, scoring twice before Totev converted a penalty shot to put the Poets ahead 14-12. Occidental responded with two goals in the final 77 seconds to send the teams into the fourth quarter tied at 14-14.
The Tigers opened the final period with a goal to take a 15-14 lead, but Whittier quickly answered.
Totev converted another penalty shot just 15 seconds later to tie the contest before Dickson scored his fifth goal of the game to put the Poets back in front.
Whittier continued to build momentum as Totev added his fourth goal on a power play. Cadena followed with his fourth of the afternoon, completing a four-goal run that gave the Poets an 18-15 advantage with 4:02 remaining.
Occidental attempted one final comeback, scoring twice to trim the deficit to 18-17 with 2:11 left on the clock.
Evan Borunda delivered a crucial insurance goal with 22 seconds remaining. The Tigers added one final score with five seconds left, but Whittier held on for the 19-17 victory.
Dickson led the Poets with five goals and an assist, while Cadena and Totev each contributed four goals. Whittier also received goals from Fotin, Carvalho, Hackett, Cardenas, Huynh and Borunda. Goalkeepers Tomas Franco and Mike Hale combined for eight saves.
The victory moved Whittier to13-10 overall and 4-4 in SCIAC play, keeping the Poets in fifth place in the conference standings.
Whittier will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 31, when it hosts Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 11 a.m. on Halloween in another important SCIAC matchup. Catch all the action on FloCollege.
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