FULLERTON, Calif. — Pomona-Pitzer men's water polo split a pair of games Friday at the Fullerton Invite, defeating host Cal State Fullerton, 10-8, before falling to Concordia Irvine, 17-13.
Season Impact: The results put the Sagehens at 1-5 on the season.
Sagehens 10, Cal State Fullerton 8
The Sagehens struck first and held Cal State Fullerton scoreless through the opening period, as
Michael Soybel found the back of the net with five minutes remaining to give Pomona-Pitzer a 1-0 lead after the first.
The Titans tied the game early in the second before
Max Distaso and
Jake Lee scored in succession to put the Sagehens ahead 3-1. After Cal State Fullerton cut the deficit to one,
Indigo Lee converted a goal to make it 4-2. The Titans responded with another goal, but
Chase Barman scored with 15 seconds remaining in the half to send Pomona-Pitzer into the break with a 5-3 advantage.
The Sagehens extended their lead in the third, as
Indigo Lee scored twice while
Michael Soybel and
Jake Lee each added a goal. Cal State Fullerton answered with three goals of its own, but Pomona-Pitzer took a 9-6 lead into the fourth.
Miles Chiang scored early in the fourth to give the Sagehens a 10-6 advantage. The Titans cut the deficit to two with a pair of goals, but Pomona-Pitzer's defense held firm in the final minutes as the Sagehens secured the 10-8 victory.
Sagehens 13, Concordia Irvine 17
Concordia scored the first two goals of the afternoon before
Max Distaso got Pomona-Pitzer on the board. The Eagles added another goal before
Michael Soybel converted to make it 3-2.
Tucker Gavin later tied the game at 3-3, but Concordia scored twice in the final two minutes to take a 5-3 lead into the second period.
The Eagles opened the second with three straight goals to extend their advantage to 8-3.
Zach Whitfield and
Tiernan Braun answered with goals for the Sagehens, but Concordia added another before halftime to take a 9-5 lead into the break.
Concordia continued to build its lead in the third, scoring the first two goals of the period.
Jake Lee then scored before the Eagles answered again.
Tucker Gavin and
Jake Lee each found the back of the net later in the period, but Concordia scored twice more to take a 13-8 lead heading into the fourth.
Pomona-Pitzer mounted a late push in the fourth, as
Indigo Lee opened the scoring before
Zach Whitfield scored twice to bring the Sagehens within five. Concordia answered with two goals, but
Jake Lee converted with 3:39 remaining to make it 15-12. The Eagles added two more goals before
Nick Grandinetti scored with 11 seconds left, but Concordia came away with the 17-13 victory.
Up Next: The Sagehens will host Golden West College in a scrimmage next Saturday, Sept. 19, at 9:00 a.m.
