LOS ANGELES — The Occidental men's water polo team cruised to an easy win against Chaffey College, but struggled to produce on the offensive end against Mercyhurst University at the Tiger Mini Tournament last weekend at Taylor Pool.
Game #1 Occidental 14 Chaffey 6
Pre Game Notes:
-This is the second meeting ever between the two squads. The Tigers had previously defeated Chaffey in 2012 20-8
-The Panthers came into the contest with an 8-10 overall record, winning three of four at the Saddleback Tournament the week prior.
Highlights:
-Freshman Taylor Russell notched his first career hat-trick with three goals apiece. Senior Nick Heffner also scored three times for his first hat-trick of the season.
-Sophore goalie Adam Florsheim recorded a career-high 21 saves, just three away from Oxy's single game record of 24, set in 2010 by Max Kelly '10.
-Nine different Tigers scored in the game, and the teams 19 steals were the most in a game this season.
Box Score 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 4 4 3 3 14
Chaffey 0 3 0 3 6
Occidental Stats:
Goals/Attempts: Russell-3/7, Heffner-3/5, Bass-2/2, Munet-1/1, Rodriguez-1/1, Rothwell-1/3, Bergevin-1/1, Sinclair-1/1, Virshuo-1/2, Woodland-0/1, Mills-0/1, Meador-0/3, Akiyama-0/3, Franscioni-0/1
Steals: Florsheim-2, Munet-1, Rodriguez-1, Otsuka-1, Rothwell-1, Bergevin-5, Heffner-2, Akiyama-3, Virshup-1, Bass-1, Mills-1
Assists: Akiyama-2, Sinclair-2, Floresheim-1, Munet-1, Russell-1, Rothwell-1, Bergevin-1, Franscioni-1, Virshup-1, Bass-1
Turn-Overs: Mills-3, Bergevin-2, Akiyama-2, Munet-1, Russell-1, Rodrgiuez-1, Rothwell-1, Heffner-1, Sinclair-1, Virshup-1, Woodland-1, Bass-1
Field Blocks: Rothwell-1, Bass-1
Exclusions/Drawn: Munet-1/0, Russell-1/3, Rothwell-1/0, Akiyama-0/1, Sinclair-0/1, Bass-0/1, Meador-0/1, Mills-2/0
Saves/Goals Allowed: Florsheim 21-/6
Quotes:
Freshman Taylor Russell, on his first hat-trick as a Tiger
"It was a fun game and I'm glad I played well. Hopefully I can put a few more games like that together for the team."
Game #2 Occidental-6 Merceyhurst-18
Pre-Game Notes:
-The two teams last met in 2012 with Mercyhurst defeating the Tigers 18-16.
-The Lakers also defeated Cal Lutheran (9-8) and lost to Pomona-Pitzer (12-7) during their California Trip
-The Lakers will advance to the NCAA Division II Championships next weekend at Gannon University
Highlights:
-The Tigers, who've struggled in 6-on-5 situations all season, managed to convert just 4 of 16 power plays in the game.
-Oxy's leading scorer this season, Sam Akiyama, was held scoreless despite 11 shots on goal.
-The Tigers turned the ball over a season high 20 times in the game.
Box Score 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 0 1 2 2 6
Mercyhurst 4 7 3 4 18
Occidental Stats:
Goals/Attempts: Russell-2/6, Rothwell-1/2, Franscioni-1/2, Virshup=1/2, Bass-1/3, Munet-0/2, Rodriguez-0/1, Bergevin-0/5, Akiyama-0/11, Heffner-0/4
Steals: Florsheim-1, Needleman-1, Russell-1, Bergevin-2, Akiyama-2, Sinclair-1
Assists: Munet-2, Sinclair-1
Turn-Overs: Akiyama-6, Munet-3, Russell-2, Rothwell-1, Franscioni-3, Heffner-2, Sinclair-2, Virshup-1
Field Blocks: Russell-1
Exclusions/Drawn: Munet-0/4, Russell-0/2, Rodrgiuez-1/2, Rothwell-0/1, Bergevin-1/2, Franscioni-0/1, Heffner-2/0, Akiyama-1/1, Sinclair-0/1, Bass-1/2
Saves/Goals Allowed: Needleman-2/11, Florsheim-8/7
Up Next:
The Tigers begin SCIAC play Oct. 18 at Pomona-Pitzer.
