CLAREMONT, Calif. — Occidental faced tough competition at the Inland Empire Classic, suffering two losses over the weekend. On Saturday, Occidental lost to Biola 18-4 at Axelrood Aquatics Center. The Tigers were held scoreless in the first and third quarters, finishing with four goals on 18 shots, which included three on power plays and one from a penalty shot.
Biola dominated early, scoring the first 11 goals, with six in the first quarter and five more in the second before Occidental finally broke through.
Zane Derrod put Occidental on the board with a power-play goal at 1:18 in the second quarter, followed by
Nicholas Karamian, who scored on a penalty shot at :07. Karamian added another power-play goal for Occidental at 6:09 in the fourth quarter, and
Joey Gutierrez capped off the scoring with a power-play goal towards the end of the game.
Karamian led the Tigers with two goals on five shots, while
Will Garcia recorded five saves and three steals in goal. Derrod added a goal on two shots and had one steal, and Gutierrez converted his lone shot while drawing one exclusion.
In their second game on the same day, Occidental fell to No. 13 UC Santa Barbara 17-8, dropping their record to 0-4. The Tigers managed to score two goals in each quarter and finished with 28 shots, while UC Santa Barbara had 34 shots and scored at least three goals in every quarter.
The Gauchos opened the scoring with two quick goals, but
Atticus Wahab-Holles responded for Occidental at 6:09 of the first quarter.
Jake Eulenhoefer added another goal at 1:07 after two more Gaucho scores. UC Santa Barbara continued their offensive pressure, scoring consecutive goals to start the second quarter.
Nicholas Karamian found the net at 4:53, followed by
Lars Schubert at 2:26, but UCSB closed the half with two straight goals.
Danny Miller and
Daron Alexanians contributed goals to close the third quarter, though UC Santa Barbara stifled any momentum with a buzzer-beater at the end of the frame. In the fourth quarter, UC Santa Barbara scored twice more before Miller struck again at 4:32, assisted by Karamian. Karamian then converted a penalty shot at 2:21, but UCSB finished strong, recording the last three goals for a final score of 17-8.
Danny Miller and
Nicholas Karamian each scored two goals, with Miller adding an assist and drawing two exclusions. Karamian matched him with two goals, an assist, and a field block.
Tyler Leung made significant contributions with three steals and two saves.
