LA JOLLA, Calif. — Pomona-Pitzer men's water polo closed their Triton Invitational showing with strong performances against a pair of Division I teams in Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, falling 24-10 to the Beach and 16-13 to the Gauchos. 
 
Sagehens 10, LBSU 24
 
Darragh Flanders led the team with a pair of goals against the Beach, while Indigo Lee and Zach Whitfield each had a goal and an assist. John Possman had eight saves through 16 minutes in goal.
 
The Sagehens hung tough with LBSU early, as Whitfield, Max Distaso and Flanders scored to tie the game at 3-3. But the Beach scored nine unanswered in the second and third to pull away. Flanders, Indigo Lee and Jaden Winters each scored in the final period as the Sagehens fell 24-10. 
 
Sagehens 13, UCSB 16
 
Flanders again led Pomona-Pitzer in a near-upset against the Gauchos with a team-high three goals. Indigo Lee and Distaso each had two goals and three assists while Greg Moore posted 12 saves in goal. 
 
Winters scored with 35 seconds left in the first to tie the game at 3-3. Teams then traded goals, as an Indigo Lee score midway through the third period made it 6-6. The Gauchos then scored four straight to go up 10-6. 
 
But Pomona-Pitzer refused to go down easily, with a Chase Barman goal making it 11-9 heading into the final quarter. The Sagehens couldn't quite even things up over the final eight minutes, despite scoring four goals in the fourth. Teams traded goals down the stretch, with a Ryan Kreutzkamp score with 22 seconds left bringing the final to 16-13 for UCSB.
 
Up Next: The Sagehens will compete next weekend at the Inland Empire Classic in Redlands.