THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's water polo made history Wednesday afternoon as junior attacker
Paul Patterson set a new single-game program record with nine goals, leading the Kingsmen to an 18-14 victory over La Verne at the Samuelson Aquatics Center.
Patterson's record-breaking performance surpassed the previous mark of eight goals, originally set by Scott Bredesen in 2004 and matched just three times since, most recently by current assistant coach
Ben Brown in 2021. Patterson finished with nine goals on 12 shots and added an assist for a game-high 10 points.
Despite a relentlessly rainy afternoon, the Kingsmen came out firing, scoring five unanswered goals to open the contest.
Levi Cook got things started just 24 seconds into the game before Patterson struck twice, followed by goals from
Max Gerdeman and
Merrick Giles to give Cal Lutheran an early 5-0 advantage.
La Verne responded with back-to-back goals, but Patterson completed his first-period hat trick with a minute remaining to send the Kingsmen into the second quarter ahead 6-2.
The offensive battle continued in the second, with both teams finding the net five times. Patterson added two more goals, while Cook,
Adam Scrivner and
Ceasar Nava each contributed to the scoring effort. Despite the Leopards keeping pace offensively, Cal Lutheran maintained its four-goal advantage and entered halftime leading 11-7.
Patterson wasted little time picking up where he left off after the break, scoring just 21 seconds into the third period. Giles followed with another goal as the Kingsmen continued to hold off La Verne's attempts to close the gap. Cook and Giles each found the net again later in the quarter, giving Cal Lutheran a 15-10 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.
The fourth quarter belonged to Patterson, who accounted for all three of the Kingsmen's goals in the period. After La Verne opened the frame with a goal, Patterson answered with consecutive strikes just 19 seconds apart to bring his total to eight and tie the program record.
With 1:20 remaining, Patterson found the back of the net once more, officially breaking the 22-year-old record and putting the finishing touches on the Kingsmen's high-scoring victory.
Patterson led the way offensively, but the Kingsmen received plenty of support from Cook and Giles, who each recorded three goals. Cook added a game-high five assists for eight points, while Giles dished out three assists for six points. Gerdeman also contributed a goal and three assists.
Dylan Bassler played all 32 minutes in the cage, recording seven saves while adding five steals and two assists.
The teams were closely matched statistically, with La Verne holding a slight 33-30 advantage in shots and both sides recording 12 steals. However, Cal Lutheran made the most of its opportunities, converting 18 of its 30 shots while tallying 16 assists on the afternoon.
The victory marked the Kingsmen's fourth consecutive SCIAC win, improving their conference record to 5-1.
