STOCKTON, CA. – The No. 17 Pomona-Pitzer Men's Water Polo team fell to No. 5 University of the Pacific 16-2 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Chris Kjeldsen Pool.
Joseph Schafer and Keegan Coleman netted the only goals for the Sagehens in the loss while goalkeeper Daniel Diemer tallied 11 saves and three steals.
The Tigers wasted no time getting on the board first as they won the sprint and immediate cashed in on an opening goal within the first 15 seconds of the match. The Tigers added two more goals within the next few minutes but the Sagehens held off the Tigers to end the quarter. Pomona-Pitzer failed to score a goal of their own in the first as they trailed 3-0 heading into the second.
The Sagehens held off the Tigers in the second quarter until the four-minute mark but the Sagehens responded with their first goal of the afternoon as Joseph Schafer found the back of the net to trim the score to 4-1 with 1:55 left in the first half. Pacific ended the half with a goal from long range as they went into halftime with a 5-1 lead.
The second half continued to favor the Tigers as they outscored the Sagehens 6-1 in the third quarter. Pomona-Pitzer ended the third on a high note as Coleman scored the second goal of the game off of an assist from Noah Sasaki but the Sagehens still trailed 11-2.
Pacific ended the game with five-straight goals in the fourth and shutout Pomona-Pitzer in the quarter as the Tigers advanced to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Sagehens end the year at 24-11 overall and have had back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament with two-straight SCIAC Championships under their belt.
