Pair of D-I teams take down CMS on opening weekend
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Opening their 2014 season, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's water polo team traveled to U.C. San Diego's Triton Invite on Sept. 6 to play the first of four non-conference tournaments preceding the start of SCIAC play on October 18. The Stags faced a pair of tough Division I teams in No. 5 Pacific and No. 8 U.C. Irvine, going 0-2 at the Triton Invite. CMS lost 14-5 to the University of the Pacific and 17-7 to UCI.
University of the Pacific 14, CMS 5
The Stags fell to Pacific 14-5 in the opener. Pacific came out strong, scoring two goals in the first two-plus minutes of the game. Junior Daniel Cogan answered with the sole CMS goal of the quarter, followed by two more Pacific goals. CMS ended the quarter trailing 4-1. Failing to score in the second quarter, CMS held its opponent to two goals and trailed 6-1 at halftime.
In the third quarter, junior Tanner Cullen was the only Stag to find the net, scoring halfway through the third quarter to narrow Pacific's lead to 8-2. The third quarter ended with CMS trailing 10-2.
CMS played its best in the fourth quarter putting three goals on the board and nearly playing Pacific even. Freshman Noah Deer scored his first goal as a Stag at the 6:19 mark of the fourth quarter to get CMS within eight at 11-3. Sophomore Eric Bakar and Cullen added goals for CMS in the quarter but in the end, Pacific earned the 14-5 win.
Senior goalie James Kelly had nine saves in net for CMS, a match-high.
UCI 17, CMS 7
CMS drew first blood on a goal by Cogan three minutes into the match, but UCI responded with three goals of its own to end the quarter with a 3-1 lead. The Stags kept the game close, with each team scoring three goals in the second quarter. Deer, Cullen and Bakar kept CMS within two goals at halftime as CMS trailed 6-4.
Cogan and Cullen each scored once in the third, but it wasn't enough to keep the Anteaters from building momentum. Going into the fourth down 10-6, the Stags were unable to put together a comeback. UCI outscored CMS 7-1 in the fourth quarter, with CMS' lone goal scored by Adam Hilborn early in the quarter to get CMS within three goals at 10-7. UCI then closed out the match over the last six-plus minutes on a 7-0 run to capture the win.
Kelly added seven saves against UCI.
Cullen led the team with four goals for the day, followed by Cogan with three, Deer and Bakar with two, and Hilborn with one.
by Brittany Arneson
CMC Public Affairs Student Assistant
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