REDLANDS, CA. – The No. 19 Pomona-Pitzer Men's Water Polo team split in their double header Saturday with a 13-4 win over Redlands and a 16-15 loss to California Baptist.
Pomona-Pitzer 13, Redlands 4
The Sagehens had five players with two goals as Dylan Elliott, Jacob Niskey, Adam Ward, Ben Sasaki and Adam Gross all shared a game-high in the win.
The Sagehens wasted no time getting ahead of the Bulldogs in the first half as they outscored Redlands 7-2 in the first two periods. Elliott got the scoring going with an assist from Gross and then Ward followed up with a goal on a powerplay from Gross to take a 2-0 lead. Redlands broke the scoring streak with a goal but Ben Sasaki netted his first goal of the day to extend the lead to 3-1 after one period of play.
Gross, Niskey and Ben Sasaki opened up the second with a string of goals to push the lead to 6-1 with 2:03 remaining in the half. Redlands notched their second goal of the match but Pomona-Pitzer ended on a high note as Ward found the back of the net with three seconds remaining to take a 7-2 lead heading into halftime.
The Sagehens scored a game-high five goals in the third coming out of halftime. The Bulldogs and Sagehens exchanged goals out of the break with Ward getting his second of the day. Pomona-Pitzer ended the period with four-straight goals with Elliott and Niskey scoring their second goals of the game, Sam Gorcey-Biblowitz got on the board with a five-meter penalty goal and then Joseph Schafer ended the third with a goal to extend the lead to 12-3 heading into the fourth.
The Sagehens put on cruise control in the fourth period after building a big lead early on. Maxwell Bethel got into the scoring column on a powerplay goal with 2:37 remaining and the Sagehens kept their undefeated streak in the SCIAC alive as they rolled Redlands on the road.
Cal Baptist 16, Pomona-Pitzer 15
The Sagehens were led by Elliott who tallied a team-high four goals in the loss.
A high scoring first period for the Sagehens got them out to a promising start. Pomona-Pitzer outscored the Lancers 4-3 in the first with goals from Gross, Cade Curry, Zach Senator and Niskey to hold a one-goal lead heading into the second.
CBU made up ground in the second as they notched five goals in the period with the Sagehens only coming away with one. Ward was able to find the back of the net for the Sagehens as Pomona-Pitzer went into the half facing an 8-5 deficit. Pomona-Pitzer climbed back into the game with four goals in the third to cut the lead down to just two goals at 11-9 heading into the fourth.
The game came down to the wire late in the fourth period as the two teams combined for a total of 11 goals in the fourth period alone. The Sagehens came all the way back and eventually took a one-goal lead at 15-14 with 51 seconds remaining after a goal by Elliott.
CBU was able to score a goal on their next possession to tie the game at 15-15 with 30 seconds left to go. The Sagehens would then turn the ball over with an offensive foul and the Lancers were able to score a goal with four seconds left on the clock to hand the Sagehens a heart breaking loss on the road.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next host Cal Lutheran and Princeton on Wednesday, October 31st at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.
