Cal Lutheran men's water polo is set to begin its season today at the Inland Empire Tourney against a pair of Division-I opponents in Pacific and UC San Diego.

The Kingsmen are coming off a 14-14 season, going 7-5 to finish 5th in the SCIAC in 2024. They will have to replace four of their top-five goal scorers from last year, including All-American Lincoln Hall and All-SCIAC player Cormac Flanders.

Despite losing a bit of production, Cal Lutheran returns a large number of significant contributors from last year that make up a poised and veteran group. Ethan Guereca, Merrick Giles, and Levi Cook produced on the offensive end in 2024, and they return to lead a group that will look for guys like Jack Bradbury, Paul Patterson, and Nic Mastropoalo to step up.

In the goal, the Kingsmen return virtually all of their production from last year, as Bo DuBois, Jaeger Gonzales, and Jacob Taff rotated relatively evenly throughout the season. All three of them are back this fall, giving Cal Lutheran some confidence protecting the cage.

As usual, the Kingsmen scheduled some tough non-conference opponents, kicking off the season with three top-15 Division-I opponents in Pacific (T10), UC San Diego (13), and UC Irvine (T7). To round out its opening weekend at the Inland Empire Tourney, Cal Lutheran will see a Division-II team in Biola.

The early schedule will present quite a test for the Kingsmen, but it is a slate that excites Tim Settem. On the upcoming season, the head coach stated, "I'm excited for this group of guys, they've been putting in the work for a since last season and they've bought in. It'll be good for us to continue building on the things from last year with such a strong foundation. Their character will show in the early games and we will see what they are capable of."