Stags go 1-3 at UCLA and Inland Empire Tournaments
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's water polo team traveled to UCLA on Sept. 12 and La Verne on Sept 13. to a compete in a pair of tournaments. The Stags went 1-3 for the weekend, facing U.C. San Diego and Pepperdine on Saturday, Sept. 12 and Occidental and USC on Sunday, Sept. 13.
They lost to No.9 UC San Diego 16-6 and No.10 Pepperdine 20-7 at the UCLA Invite. The Stags then went 1-1 at the Inland Empire Tournament, winning 15-4 against fellow SCIAC team Occidental, before taking a tough 20-5 loss from NCAA Division I, No.2 USC. CMS is now 3-6 for the season, and next play at Cal Baptist on Sept. 18.
UCSD 16, CMS 6
CMS started the weekend against U.C. San Diego. The Stags struggled to find the net in the first quarter, despite multiple man advantages, allowing the Tritons to establish a 6-0 lead.
Senior Adam Hilborn (CMC) scored the first goal for the Stags in the second quarter, but the Tritons kept the pressure on and extended their lead by five. The game went into the half with CMS down 11-1.
CMS had a strong showing in third, winning the quarter 4-3. Senior Tanner Cullen (CMC), junior Alex Waggoner (CMC) and sophomores Noah Deer (CMC) and Peter Tilton (CMC) all found the back of the net. The momentum worked towards closing the gap, but the lead established in the first half was significant. The Stags went into the fourth quarter down14-4.
Defense took priority in the fourth quarter for both teams, with the Stags losing a low scoring quarter 2-1. The lone goal by junior Eric Bakar (CMC) was not enough for CMS to catch up, and they lost to UCSD 16-6.
Pepperdine 20, CMS 7
For their second game of the day CMS took on NCAA No. 10 Pepperdine, taking a tough 20-7 loss. The Stags kept it close with a goal from Deer late in the first quarter, keeping the match within one.
The Waves picked it up in the second quarter, scoring six goals to increase their lead. Efforts by Waggoner and Deer kept the Stags within four goals, ending the quarter with a score of 8-4.
Pepperdine kept the pressure on in the third, scoring six more goals throughout the quarter. Waggoner and Cogan fired back, each finding the net once in the CMS effort to catch up. The Stags entered the fourth quarter down 14-6.
The efforts by Pepperdine in the fourth quarter ensured their win, as they scored their third-consecutive six goal quarter. The Stags were held to one goal, scored off a penalty by Cullen early in the quarter. By the end of the game, the Waves had extended their lead 20-7.
Box score
CMS 15, Occidental 4
The Stags' sole victory over the weekend came in their match against fellow SCIAC team Occidental. Seniors Cullen and Cogan came out strong in the first, each putting two scores on the board for CMS. An additional goal from freshman Peter Seidner (CMC) helped increase the lead to 5-0.
The second quarter saw goals from three different Stags. Sophomore Graham Fullerton (CMC) found the back of the net twice, and efforts from Cogan and Bakar further extended the Stags' advantage to 9-0 going into half.
With a solid advantage, the Stags continued their goal streak in the second half. Cullen, Tilton, and Seidner each scored, while the team held Occidental to just one goal. CMS entered the fourth quarter up 12-1.
CMS came out strong to finish the game, but Occidental picked it up. Two goals from sophomore Arya Nakhjavani (CMC) and a goal from Deer helped the Stags maintain their lead, but they tied the quarter 3-3. The game ended with the Stags up 15-4.
USC 20, CMS 5
The last game of the weekend put CMS up against USC, the team ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division I. Junior Ellison Taylor (CMC) scored the lone goal for the Stags in the first quarter, with the Trojans coming up big with seven on the board.
Starting the second quarter down by six, goals from Tilton and Cogan were not enough to counter the efforts of USC. The Trojans put another six in the back of the net, and the Stags went into half down 13-3.
In the third quarter, the Stags scored two goals to the Trojans' five. Cullen and Tilton scored one each, and the score going into the fourth was 18-5.
The fourth quarter saw the Stags defense pick up, holding the Trojans to just two goals. A dry spell in scoring, however, made it impossible for CMS to close the gap. The final score was 20-5, USC.
Playing multiple top ten NCAA Division I teams makes scoring challenging, but eleven Stags managed to find the back of the net over the weekend. Cullen led the team with six goals, followed by Cogan with five, Tilton and Deer with four each, Bakar with three, Waggoner, Seigner, Fullerton, and Nakhjavani with two each, and Taylor and Hilborn with one each.
Box score
by Brittany Arneson
Public Affairs Assistant
Claremont McKenna College
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