THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's water polo opened its home SCIAC schedule in style Wednesday afternoon, defeating Chapman 17-11 at the Samuelson Aquatics Center behind a season-high offensive performance and a dominant first period. The Kingsmen scored eight times in the opening frame and never looked back, earning their first conference home victory of the season.
The Kingsmen wasted little time finding their rhythm, trading goals with Chapman early before taking control. Patterson scored four times in the opening period, while
Levi Cook,
Merrick Giles, and Gerdeman also found the back of the net.
Cal Lutheran carried an 8-4 advantage into the second period, where both defenses tightened up. Each team scored twice in the frame, with Gerdeman finding the net twice for the Kingsmen to maintain a four-goal cushion at halftime.
The Kingsmen came out firing after the break, putting together a four-goal run to extend their lead. Gerdeman opened the scoring in the third before Patterson and Giles added goals. Gerdeman struck again on an exclusion opportunity as Cal Lutheran outscored Chapman 4-1 in the period to build a commanding 14-7 lead.
Chapman found more offense in the fourth, scoring four times, but the Kingsmen continued to answer. Patterson and
Adam Scrivner added goals before Jaeger Gonzalez put the finishing touch on the victory in memorable fashion, scoring a goalie goal in the final minute.
Ryder Lippman recorded the steal and assist on the play, helping cap the 17-11 win.
Cal Lutheran finished with a 34-31 advantage in shots and nearly doubled Chapman's assist total, 17-10. Gerdeman led the Kingsmen with eight points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field with five goals and three assists. Patterson scored a team-high six goals and added an assist for seven points, while Giles also recorded seven points with two goals and five assists.
Cook contributed two goals and two assists, reaching the 100-goal milestone for his career with his first-period score. Gonzalez made five saves in goal and added a goal and two assists.
The Kingsmen get the weekend off before returning to the Samuelson Aquatics Center on Wednesday, October 14, to host Caltech for their Mental Health Awareness Game. Opening sprint is set for 4 p.m.
