WHITTIER – The Occidental College men's water polo team got off to a good start at the SCIAC Water Polo Championships, blanking Caltech in the play-in game, but fell short in the later games and placed eighth in the final standings.
Play-in: Occidental 11, Caltech 0
Behind a stifling defense and a record-setting performance by goalie Scott Churchman (Houston), the Tigers shut out the Beavers 11-0 in the play-in game.
The victory enabled the No. 8 seed Tigers to advance to a first round match-up against the top seed Pomona-Pitzer later in the day.
Churchman's 22 saves in the game equaled a school record set by Max Kelly in 2009 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The shutout is the first for Oxy in a SCIAC game in over 10 years.
It was evident early on that the Tigers held the defensive edge as Oxy allowed just one shot on goal in the first quarter.
The Tigers also struggled on offense early on, but finally got on the board at the 2:11 mark of the first quarter when sophomore Nick Heffner (La Jolla) scored on a breakaway goal. Just over a minute later, Jack Stabenfeldt (Larkspur) added the first of his game-high four goals for the Tigers.
The Tigers added two more goals in the second quarter while the defense continued to hold strong, and Oxy took a 4-0 lead into the half.
Caltech's offense seemed to awaken in the second half, firing at the Oxy frame. However, Churchman continued to turn back shot attempts as he recorded 15 saves in the final two quarters.
Senior Joe Reynolds (Souderton, Penn.) scored both of his goals in the second half. Dylan Rothwell (Cumberland Valley, Penn.), Kirk Follette (Santa Monica), Nathaniel Whitmore (Lafayette) and Jack Sinclair (Alhambra) each added one goal in the game for Occidental.
BOX SCORE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 2 2 3 4 11
Caltech 0 0 0 0 0
Goals Scored:
Occidental-Stabenfeldt-4, Reynolds-2, Heffner-1, Rothwell-1, Whitmore-1, Follette-1, Sinclair-1
Caltech-none
Saves:
Occidental-Churchman-22
Caltech-Grabowski-13
First Round: Pomona-Pitzer 15, Occidental 5
The Sagehens entered the contest undefeated in SCIAC this season, having previously defeated the Tigers 19-6 during regular season play.
Pomona-Pitzer took advantage of a strong counter attack to score the game's first three goals before Reynolds put Oxy on the board after a timeout midway through the first quarter. The Sagehens countered with three more scores to take a 6-1 lead after first.
While Oxy managed to contain the Pomona-Pitzer counter attack in the second quarter, the Hens continued to add to their lead with pinpoint accuracy from the perimeter. To compound the matter, the Tigers struggled on the offensive end as they failed to net a shot in the second quarter and trailed 11-1 at halftime.
The second half was a tight battle with both teams scoring four times each, but it wasn't enough for Oxy to make up the first half deficit.
Five different Tigers scored in the game with Reynolds, Follette, Stabenfeldt, Rothwell, and Scott Virshup (Cupertino) each netting a goal.
Oxy went on to the consolation semi-final against the No. 5 seed Redlands, who had lost to the tournament host Whittier College.
BOX SCORE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 1 0 2 2 5
Pomona-Pitzer 6 5 4 0 15
GOALS SCORED:
Occidental-Reynolds-1, Follette-1, Stabenfeldt-1, Rothwell-1, Virshup-1
Pomona-Pitzer-Vint-4, Cox-3, Hudnall-2, Clayton-2, Higgins-1, Kumbler-1, Myer-1, Dairykin-1
SAVES:
Occidental-Churchman-4, Fish-7
Pomona-Pitzer-n/a
Consolation Semi-Final: Redlands 21, Occidental 6
Reynolds again led the Tigers with two goals and two assists, but Oxy dropped the game 21-6 to the Panthers.
Having played in the game, Reynolds set Occidental record for consecutive games played. The left-handed attacker appeared for the 115th consecutive time over the past four seasons.
The record for consecutive games was set by Tai McDermott '11 last year. Reynolds later extended the record in the seventh place game against Chapman.
Redlands jumped on Oxy early with three unanswered goals to start the first quarter and led by a 6-1 margin after one.
Trailing 13-2 at halftime, Oxy went on a run of their own, scoring three consecutive goals, one by Reynolds and one each from Follette and Stabenfeldt, but the run wasn't enough as Redlands finished the game with an 8-1 spurt.
Sam Akiyama (Aptos) and Heffner each added a goal for the Tigers while Churchman and Patrick Fish (Great Falls, Va.) split time in goal to combine for 10 saves.
BOX SCORE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 1 1 3 1 6
Redlands 6 7 2 6 21
GOALS SCORED:
Occidental-Reynolds-2, Stabenfeldt-1, Follette-1, Heffner-1, Akiyama-1
Redlands-n/a
Saves:
Occidental-Fish-6, Churchman-4
Redlands-n/a
Seventh Place: Chapman 20, Occidental 13
The Tigers went on to face Chapman in the seventh-place match and put up a strong effort in their final match of the season. But the team came up short in an offensive slugfest, 20-13.
Oxy trailed 2-0 early in the contest, but the Tigers fought back and outscored the Panthers by a 4-3 margin over the final six minutes of the first quarter to trail by one heading into the second.
Both teams went on small runs in the second quarter but Chapman kept the lead, taking a 10-6 lead into the break.
Akiyama scored three of his game-high four goals in the first two quarters. The sophomore finished the 2012 season with 55 goals, good for third best on the team.
Chapman continued to apply offensive pressure in the second half, turning four straight Oxy turnovers into break-away goals to extend its lead.
Stabenfeldt had been held scoreless throughout the first three quarters, but the Tigers' leading scorer on the season erupted for three fourth quarter goals. The junior ends the season with 64 scores. The total is the most by an Oxy player since former NCAA All-American Austin Oliver notched 68 in 2009.
Reynolds added a goal in the game and finished with 58 on the season. Whitmore and Sinclair each scored twice in the game, while sophomore Heffner added one goal.
Reynolds, Stabenfeldt, and Akiyama became the first Oxy trio in over a decade to register over 50 goals apiece in a single season.
With the loss, Oxy finishes the season eighth in the conference. The Tigers will look forward to 2013 with 15 returning players, including five of seven starters.
BOX SCORE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 4 2 3 4 13
Chapman 5 5 5 5 20
Goals Scored:
Occidental-Akiyama-4, Stabenfeldt-3, Whitmore-2, Sinclair-2, Heffner-1, Reynolds-1
Chapman-n/a
SAVES:
Occidental-Churchman-14
Chapman-Rozkos-n/a
