PASADENA, Calif. – Whittier opened its 2026 SCIAC men's water polo campaign with a commanding 24-7 road victory over Caltech on Saturday. Sebastian Cadena and Ivan Cardenas led the Poets with four goals apiece, while
Pedro Carvalho, Daniel Totev and Louis Hackett each recorded hat tricks.
Whittier struck first, scoring the opening two goals of the contest, including one from SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week Matthew Haucuja, proving his abilities on the offensive end as well.
A goal from the Beavers cut the deficit to 2-1, but two goals from Carvalho and one from Hacket extended the Poets' lead to 5-1.
Caltech scored again with one minute remaining in the opening period, but the Poets responded with two more goals, including one from Cardenas, to take a 7-2 advantage into the second.
The Beavers opened the second period by converting a five-meter penalty shot. Cadena answered with his first of four goals to restore Whittier's five-goal advantage.
After another Caltech goal, the Poets took control with 10 unanswered goals spanning the second and third periods. Cardenas and Hackett each found the back of the net twice, while Totev added another goal to help Whittier build a 13-4 halftime lead.
The Poets continued their offensive surge in the third period, scoring five consecutive goals to extend their advantage to 18-4. Cadena contributed two goals during the run, while Carvalho added another.
Whittier added four more goals before the end of the third period, with Totev scoring twice and Cadena and Cardenas adding one each. The Poets entered the final period with a commanding 22-6 lead.
Jason Dickson and Haucuja each found the back of the net in the fourth period, while Caltech added one final goal to bring the score to 24-7.
Whittier's offensive performance was complemented by a strong defensive showing. Goalie
Tomas Franco recorded eight saves, Haucuja collected three steals and three other Poets registered two steals to their stats.
With the victory, Whittier improved to 9-3 overall and 1-0 in SCIAC play.
The Poets return home Wednesday, Sept. 30, to face the La Verne Leopards at the Lillian Slade Aquatics Center. The contest, scheduled for 7 p.m., will mark Whittier's first home SCIAC game of the 2026 season.
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