CLAREMONT, Calif. — No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer men's water polo came from behind to defeat top-ranked in DIII CMS 10-9 Wednesday night at Axelrood Pool.
Season Impact: The win puts the Sagehens at 4-5 on the season, including 2-0 in SCIAC play.
Darragh Flanders led Pomona-Pitzer with a hat trick on three shots, including the game-tying and game-winning goals.
Indigo Lee added two scores as well as
Zach Whitfield, while
Jaden Winters dished out two assists to go with a goal.
The Sagehens faced an 8-4 deficit with 6:33 remaining before mounting their comeback.
Jake Lee found
Indigo Lee for a score 31 seconds later then Winters put one in to bring Pomona-Pitzer within two, 8-6, with 5:07 left. Flanders scored less than 30 seconds later to then bring the Sagehens within one, 8-7.
The Stags got one back on a powerplay with 2:29 remaining, upping their lead 9-7. Whitfield responded with a powerplay goal of his own with 2:05 to go, making it 9-8 CMS. Flanders tied things up at 9-9 with 1:15 left with a goal from the center spot. The Sagehen defense held strong, giving the offense one last chance in regulation.
With 21 seconds to go, Flanders again found the back of the net off an assist from Chiang, giving Pomona-Pitzer a 10-9 lead. The Sagehens' defense again shut out CMS' offense in the closing seconds, as Pomona-Pitzer held on for the 10-9 victory.
Up Next: The Sagehens will host the Gary Troyer Tournament this weekend, Oct. 2-3, first facing California Baptist on Friday at 2:00 p.m. PT.
