WHITTIER – After back-to-back doubleheaders at the Gary Troyer Convergence, the Occidental College men's water polo team concluded the long weekend with a round-robin against No. 5 Whittier College and No. 10 Washington and Jefferson.

No. 10 Washington and Jefferson 13, No. 9 Occidental 11

In the first match of the day, the Tigers got off to a fast start and built a 7-4 first half lead.

But the Presidents clawed their way back into the game with a four-goal run to open the third quarter and ultimately held on for a 13-11 win.

Kevin Coleman and Christian Erwin each notched three goals. For Coleman it was his third hat trick in as many games. 

Samuel Akiyama added two goals for the Tigers to go along with two steals and two assists, while freshman goalie Adam Florsheim blocked 15 shots in the game.

No. 5 Whittier 15, No. 9 Occidental 10

In the second game of the day, a late Oxy rally was thwarted as Whittier was able to hold on for a five-goal win.

Trailing by one after the first, Whittier went on a 6-1 run in the second quarter to build a 9-3 half time lead. 

Down 11-4 early in the third, the Tigers went on a 5-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to three, but that was as close as they would get.

Coleman led Oxy with three goals for his fourth consecutive hat trick. The senior finished the weekend scoring 15 goals in six games.

Akiyama added three scores for Oxy, while Erwin, Jack Stabenfeldt, Tyler Wilson and Patrick Maloney each scored once.

Head Coach Larry Zubrin was pleased with the team's ability to fight back after the slow start.

"Coming off a bad loss, and a slow start, I was impressed with the way the guys kept up their effort.  Unfortunately we just didn't have enough horse power to overcome the deficit," Zubrin said.

The team will now turn to the start of SCIAC play with their home opener against No. 1 University of Redlands on Oct. 16 at Taylor Pool.