The final day of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Men's Water Polo Championship Tournament at the University of Redlands in the Thompson Aquatic Center featured many tight-knit matches in a day that cemented the standings for all conference teams. With the exception of one upset in the seventh-place game, the results of championship Sunday played out just as the dual-match seedings had predicted.
Top-seeded Whittier Colleges jumped out to an impressive 5-0 lead to secure a solid start in the championship match against No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and never looked back en route to the 11-5 victory for the regular-season title.
During the opening frame, Whittier displayed a quality offense that included five different players in an offensive onslaught over the first seven minutes.
The Stags finally got on the board with a late goal in the first period by Mark Nietzel.
The second period saw only two goals between the teams, leaving Whittier ahead by a count of 6-2.
During the third stanza, the Poets continued to outscore the Stags to extend their lead to 9-4. Freshman Massimiliano Mirarchi (Rome, Italy) blasted off two netters to bring his game total to four in a solid showing for Whittier.
The final stanza remained in Whittier's control, as the top-seeded team put away another two goals while giving up just one.
Sophomore Ellison Taylor (Mission, TX) provided the only multi-goal performance for the Stags, netting two scores.
Defensively, senior goalkeeper James Kelly (Greenwich, CT) made five stops for CMS, while Whittier's senior goalkeeper Ryan Brunansky (Poway, CA) hauled in four saves.
Sunday's first competition set a competitive stage for all games to follow, as the eight-seeded
Occidental College Tigers and the sixth-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens battled through a physical match-up.
A tight game ensued from the get-go, as Pomona-Pitzer hopped in front of Occidental, 2-1, after the first period. The second period brought the most offensive output, as the Tigers outscored the Sagehens, 4-3, to tie up the score at five apiece at halftime. Occidental's sophomore Matt Munet (Brea, CA) and freshman Matt Weiser (Winnetka, IL) netted two goals each, while Pomona-Pitzer's senior Kyle Van der Linde (Altadena, CA), senior Stephen Vint (El Cajon, CA), and junior Phillip Clayman (Clovis, CA) each had one score in the productive period.
After the teams traded scores to start the third frame, Occidental snagged the lead in the fourth quarter with Weiser's third goal of the game. The Tigers held on for the 8-7 upset over the Sagehens.
In a game that showcased a flare for the dramatic, the fifth-seeded Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen edged the seventh-seeded University of La Verne Leopards in the fifth-place showdown by a score of 13-12.
After trading just one goal each in the first period, the teams stepped up to provide an offensive outburst on both sides of the pool in the second stanza. La Verne grabbed a 6-5 lead at the end of the period, highlighted by two goals from junior Matthew Vega (Rancho Cucamonga, CA).
Cal Lutheran rebounded to outscore the Leopards in the next two periods, notching four goals in each of the final stanzas to secure the win. However, La Verne refused to back down and cut a three-goal deficit to only in the final 2:13 of the game. M. Vega and freshman Josh Vega (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) fired off late scores for the Leopards to make the final tally even closer.
For CLU, goalkeeper senior Jesse Owen (Riverside, CA) notched four crucial saves in the fourth period to secure a 13-12 victory. In addition, senior Zach Graper (Simi Valley, CA) uncorked a pair of netters in the final frame to lead the Kingsmen.
During the third-place showdown between host Redlands and the Chapman University Panthers, the high-caliber competition of the tournament continued amidst another tight contest. In a game that saw nine knotted scores, Chapman broke the final draw to earn the hard-fought 11-10 victory in a physical and intense match.
The Bulldogs gained an early 2-1 advantage through the first period with goals by senior David Sekula (LaGrange, IL). During this frame, sophomore goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) kept the Panther offense to a minimum by raking in seven of his 12 saves for the day.
Both teams erupted for big scores in the second period but the Bulldogs maintained a slight edge at 6-4. In addition, the seven goals of the frame came from seven different players in a well-balanced and evenly-matched contest.
Chapman rallied back in the third period to even the score at eight apiece. Again the scoring came from a diverse crew of competitors, with Chapman's senior Jake Gross (San Diego, CA) notching his second of the contest during the Panthers' comeback. For Redlands, D. Sekula secured his fourth goal of the game during the third stanza. All other scores came from new contributors.
The fourth period saw a true back-and-forth performance but the Panthers were the first and last to gain a one-goal lead, resulting in the final score. Freshmen Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) and Matthew Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) kept the Bulldogs knocking at the door in the latter part of the frame. Down by one, Redlands had the ball with 35 seconds left in the contest but the Bulldogs' final play was broken up by the Chapman defense.
In a well-balanced effort, Chapman's Gross, freshman Jeff O'Brien (Newport Beach, CA), and junior Willis Allen (Long Beach, CA) provided two scores each.
Beyond D. Sekula's four-goal showing, the Bulldogs gained single netters from six other players.
Based on the dual-match points and those awarded for the tournament finishes, the final standings place Whittier as the SCIAC champion, followed by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in second place, Chapman in third, Redlands in fourth, Cal Lutheran in fifth, La Verne in sixth, Pomona-Pitzer in seventh, Occidental in eighth, and Caltech in ninth.
