REDLANDS, Calif. (Sept. 13, 2008) – Occidental College's men's water polo was winless on opening day after dropping a pair of games at the Inland Empire Tournament. Oxy fell 12-7 against the University of the Pacific in the morning, followed by a 10-5 loss at the hands of Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Redlands on their home turf in the afternoon.

Five goals by senior Andrew Valdes and a strong second half effort were not quite enough for Occidental as they opened the 2008 season with a 12-7 loss to the fourteenth ranked University of Pacific. 

Valdes, Oxy's leading scorer from a year ago, picked up right where he left off with some pinpoint outside shooting to lead the Tigers offensive attack. Pacific in the meantime used a balanced effort on the offensive end to take a 7-2 half-time lead. Occidental put up two goals in the first quarter before being shut out in the second frame.

The second half was a much different game as the Tigers made some defensive adjustments and slowed the Pacific attack, while Valdes went to work offensively scoring four of his game high five goals in final two quarters of play.  Valdes added two assists as did sophomore teammate Josh Kantor.  Junior goal keepers Max Kelly and Blair Bergsteinsson split time in goal, with Kelly recording four saves in the first half, and Bergsteinsson tallying eight in the final two stanzas. 

Junior Adam Kantor and sophomore Austen Oliver rounded out the Oxy scoring with one goal apiece.

In the second game  the Tigers got off to another slow start. After scoring the games first goal, a penalty shot by senior Sean Inoue, Oxy would allow six unanswered goals over the next 11 minutes of play.  

Valdes scored the first of his team high two goals late in the second quarter to close the gap to 6-2 at halftime. 

As it did in the first game the Tigers defense improved in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to just four goals, but the offense still struggled to gain ground. 

Oxy hit just five of 27 shots from the field in the game.  Senior Cameron Brahmst and Oliver each scored one goal, while Kelly finished with 10 saves.

Oxy will close out the tournament tomorrow playing a pair of games at the Thompson Aquatics Center in Redlands against Concordia University – Irvine and Chapman University at 10:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.