CLAREMONT — The Occidental men's water polo team fell behind early and struggled to keep up in a 17-5 loss to the Sagehens in the team's SCIAC opener last Saturday

Turnovers were the primary culprit for Oxy, as the Tigers committed 16 miscues in the game, most of which lead to easy counter-attack goals for the Sagehens.

Pomona's strong press-defense forced most of the Oxy errors early on and led to a quick 3-0 lead in the first quarter.  Sam Akiyama (Aptos) got the Tigers on the board when he converted on a power play mid-way through the quarter, but the Hens responded with two more scores to take a 5-1 lead after the first quarter.

Matt Munet (Brea) was a bright spot in the offensive struggle for Oxy as the sophomore led the team with two goals scored.  Both of Munet's goals came on extra man opportunities, as the Tigers converted 4-7 power plays in the game. 

Goalies Adam Florsheim (Issaquah, WA) and Josh Needleman (Boca Raton, FL) shared time in goal, with each playing half the game.  The two finished with a combined seven saves.

Along with the high volume of turnovers on the offensive end, the Tigers continued to struggle with their shooting percentage from the field, hitting just five of 26 shots on goal.

Freshmen Taylor Russell (San Clemente, CA) and Matt Weiser (Winnetka, IL) scored Oxy's only other goals in the game.

Oxy travels to Whittier College on Wednesday to take on the #1 ranked Poets.  Game time is 4pm.

Box Score                                1^st             2^nd           3^rd            4^th                              TOTAL

Occidental                             1               0               2               2                                 5

Pomona-Pitzer                    5               4               4               4                                 17

Occidental Stats:

Goals/Attempts: Munet-2/3, Russell-1/5, Weiser-1/2, Akiyama-1/8, Rodrgieuz-0/2, Bergevin-0/1, Heffner-0/2, Sinclair-0/1, Virshup-0/1, Bass-0/1

Steals: Virshup-2, Franscioni-2, Flrosheim-1, Needleman-1, Russell-1, Heffner-1, Akiyama-1, Sinclair-1

Assists: Virshup-3, Sinclair-1, Rodrgiuez-1

Turn-Overs: Munet-3, Heffner-3, Russell-2, Franscioni-2, Florshiem-1, Rodrgiuez-1, Weiser-1, Rothwell-1, Akiyama-1, Sinclair-1

Field Blocks: Weiser-1, Heffner-1

Exclusions/Drawn: Heffner-3/0,  Munet-0/1, Russell-1/0, Rodrgiuez-0/2, Weiser-0/1, Rothwell-1/1, Akiyama-1/1, Sinclair-1/0, Bass-0/1