THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's water polo (9-8, 2-3 SCIAC) delivered an offensive showcase Saturday morning, defeating La Verne (8-12, 1-5 SCIAC) 19-17 in a high-scoring home matchup. Levi Cook orchestrated the Kingsmen offense with a record-breaking performance with 12 assists, setting the tone for a balanced team attack that kept the Leopards chasing all game long.

The Kingsmen came out firing early, with Merrick Giles quickly answering La Verne's opening goal before Cal Lutheran went on a 3-0 run behind scores from Paul Patterson, Ethan Guereca, and Giles again. The Leopards battled back to close the first quarter tied 4-4, setting the stage for a back-and-forth shootout.

Cal Lutheran began to separate early in the second period with goals from Giles — who notched his third of the day — along with Jack Bradbury and Patterson. Despite several La Verne responses, the Kingsmen kept their composure, getting a key conversion from Max Gerdeman at the end of the period to maintain a 8-6 halftime advantage.

The offensive rhythm continued after the break, with both teams trading goals. Patterson opened the scoring for Cal Lutheran at the 6:21 mark, followed quickly by a strike from Bradbury to extend the Kingsmen's lead. La Verne responded with back-to-back goals to even things up before Tre Eade and Giles reignited CLU's momentum with a pair of scores.

Despite another goal from the Leopards, the Kingsmen continued to find answers. Nic Mastropoalo finished for a goal with under two minutes left, and Alan Castillo capped off the period with a late strike at the :24 mark. Cal Lutheran entered the final quarter with a crucial lead, 14-10.

La Verne made a late push in the fourth quarter, but the Kingsmen answered each run with strikes from Gerdeman, Zachary Isaac, and Adam Scrivner to seal the 19-17 victory. Cal Lutheran's balanced attack saw 10 different players score, while the defense tallied 16 steals to keep La Verne at bay.

Cook's playmaking proved pivotal in the win, with his precision passing fueling Cal Lutheran's offensive rhythm and leading to a new program single-game record of 12 assists. The previous record of 8 was held by now-assistant coach Ben Brown. Cook's performance, along with Giles' four goals, elevated the Kingsmen's attack and secured the hard-fought victory.