CLAREMONT, CA. -- The No. 16 Pomona-Pitzer Men's Water Polo team continued its dominance in the SCIAC with a 19-15 win over conference opponent Chapman on Saturday morning at Haldeman Pool.
With the win, the Sagehens improve to 16-7 overall and stay perfect in SCIAC play at 8-0.
The Sagehens were led by Adam Gross who tallied four goals and three assists in the win. The Sasaki twins of Ben and Sam both notched hat-tricks with three goals each, Jack Mallery, Dylan Elliott, Keegan Coleman, and Noah Sasaki all netted two goals and Alexander Peterson added one to the total.
How it Happened
The Sagehens got out to a good start on offense with a game-high six goals in the first quarter. Gross started out his four-goal day early as he scored the opening goal of the contest and after an answer from the Panthers, the Sagehens scored four-straight goals from Coleman, Mallery, and two from Sam Sasaki to take a 5-1 lead with 3:15 left in the first. Chapman added two more goals in the first and Sam Sasaki finished off his hat-trick in the first to give the Sagehens a 6-3 lead.
Chapman opened up the second with a goal to cut the lead down to 6-4 but the Sagehens answered back with goals from Elliott, Noah Sasaki and Gross to extend the lead to 9-4. Chapman scored two of the final three goals of the half but a late goal from Benjamin Sasaki gave the Sagehens a 10-6 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Chapman got their offense going and cut the lead down to 11-9 with 5:35 left in the third. The Sagehens got back to their scoring ways and netted three-straight goals form Peterson, Ben Sasaki, and Noah Sasaki to create some breathing room at 14-9. The Panthers closed the gap to end the third as they scored the final two goals of the quarter to trail 14-11 entering the fourth.
The Panthers got the game to its closest margin as they trailed by two goals to open the fourth at 14-12 with 7:31 left to play. The Sagehens kept the Panthers away from striking distance with goals from Mallery and Gross, but the Panthers continued to pressure the Sagehens with a three-goal deficit at 17-14 with 2:05 left in the fourth. The Sagehens slammed the door shut on their next two possession with goals from Ben Sasaki and Gross to put the game out of reach and secure the win for the Sagehens.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next host La Verne on Wednesday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m.
