CLAREMONT, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's water polo (14-13, 7-5 SCIAC) fell short on the road against CMS (14-11, 7-5 SCIAC) in a defensive battle on Saturday afternoon, ending its regular season with a 6-8 loss.

The Kingsmen started off strong, gathering a 2-0 lead behind first-period goals from sophomore Levi Cook and first-year Paul Patterson.

The Stags would strike back quickly with a late first-period goal before adding three more scores in the second period, a period in which the Kingsmen would go scoreless.

Sophomore Ethan Guereca would kick off the third period with a quick goal to cut the deficit to one, but the Stags responded with another four unanswered goals to take an 8-4 lead halfway through the fourth period.

A late goal by junior Zachary Isaac and two more from senior Lincoln Hall weren't enough to mount a comeback as time ran out before Cal Lutheran could equalize.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jaeger Gonzales strongly anchored the Kingsmen defense with 13 saves on the day.

Asked about the match, head coach Tim Settem stated, "It was an exciting game that went back-and-forth. Our defensive lapse in the second period really cost us. Aside from that, a great competition to be a part of."

The Kingsmen finished tied for fourth in the SCIAC with CMS and Whittier. Due to tiebreaker rules, the Kingsmen will advance to the SCIAC Tournament as the 5-seed where 4-seed CMS will await them. A rematch on the road is scheduled for Tuesday evening. The winner will play 1-seed Redlands on the road on Thursday.

"If we clean things up, we'll have a good chance on Tuesday," said Settem.