THOUSAND OAKS – Seven different Tigers managed to find the back of the net, but it wasn't enough to hold off a physical Cal Lutheran team, as the Occidental College men's water polo team lost to Cal Lutheran 16-9 on Saturday.

The Kingsmen got on the board early in the first with back-to-back goals and never relinquished the lead, but Oxy hung tough until the end.

The Tigers found offensive production all over the pool with Patrick Maloney and Jack Stabenfeldt leading the team with two goals each.

In spite of the well-rounded attack, Oxy struggled to keep the Kingsmen at bay at the opposite end of the pool. 

CLU converted three of six power play opportunities and scored several goals from the center position to maintain their lead throughout the game.

According to head coach Larry Zubrin, CLU's athleticism was the difference.

"We tried to play them man to man, but they were just too quick and physical," Zubrin said. "At the opposite end we got some good looks on goal and it was nice to see several different players step up and perform well."

Kevin Coleman, Nathaniel Whitmore, Samuel Akiyama, Hank Franscioni and Paul Bergevin each netted a goal for the Tigers. Akiyama added three steals and an assist in the game.

The loss ends the Tigers' regular season but the team will advance to the SCIAC Championship tournament next weekend as the eighth seed in the nine-team conference.

Oxy opens play against ninth-seeded Caltech Friday at 1:30 p.m. All games will take place at Chapman University.