MALIBU, Calif. — Sept. 14, 2023) Cal Lutheran men's water polo took a quick trip over the Santa Monica mountains to battle a top-ranked Division I opponent Pepperdine, but the Kingsmen fell 17-6 in a tough cross-town battle on Sunday night.
"We had a great opportunity against one of the best teams in the country today," head coach
John Jacobson said. "We started off slow but managed to put together some good sequences on offense and defense in the last three quarters. Proud of how our squad stepped up and competed hard."
The Kingsmen went shot for shot with the Waves in the first quarter, shooting seven times compared to the Waves' 11 shots on goal. However, none reached the back of the goal as the Waves led 7-0 after eight minutes of play.
Bo DuBois attempted to set the tone for the second quarter when he recorded a steal to give the Kingsmen possession early in the quarter.
Levi Cook went on to score the Kingsmen's first goal, with
Adam Dow getting the helper. The Kingsmen scored two more times in the quarter, but the Waves answered every goal to finish the quarter by a score of 11-3.
In the third quarter,
Luke Matthies scored the Kingsmen's first powerplay goal on their fifth chance as Dow notched his second assist. The Kingsmen scored one more time in the quarter, but Pepperdine again matched each goal and led 14-5 after three-quarters of play.
The Kingsmen held the Waves to only three goals in the fourth quarter but could only deposit one shot of their own as they ultimately fell to No. 4 Division I opponent by a score of 17-6.
Tommy Riffle and Matthies led the team with two goals each, while
Zane Hermann and Cook each had one apiece.
Luke Chang and Dow both tallied two assists, while
Brody Swarm and
Noah Carreon both had one.
In net, DuBois made five saves and led the defensive charge with a team-high four steals. Seven different Kingsmen recorded at least one steal, as well.
The Kingsmen will resume conference play and stay on the road for their next game when they matchup against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
