Kingsmen Water Polo Fell in Final seconds Versus MIT, Taken Down by Harvard

Tanner Kaplan scored one goal in each game as CLU defeated Fresno Pacific 13-11 and McKendree 15-13. (Photo: Claire Caldera)

Posted: Sep 08, 2019

PROVIDENCE, R.I.— Cal Lutheran men's water polo fell twice on Sunday at the Brown Invitational as the Kingsmen lost a heartbreaker to MIT, 7-6, and were defeated, 16-7, by Harvard.

The Kingsmen went 1-3 on their road trip, as they took on two Division I opponents in Brown and Harvard. The game with MIT came down to the wire as the Engineers escaped with the win. MIT scored with one second left on the clock as the ball bounced of a Kingsmen shoulder.

Game One – HU 16, CLU 7

Parker Jory scored four goals for the third consecutive game, while Justin Krause added two more and Dillon Goldsmith had one. Jory also tied for the lead on the team with drawn ejections and Stephen Blaauw matched him with two.

Jonathan Salandi was in the goal and had an impressive 10 steals. The defense was all over the pool as eight Kingsmen recorded a steal, led by Krause and Nathan March with two apiece. Ben Brown was also big defensively as he recorded three field blocks.

The Division I program, Harvard, came out on fire and took a quick 4-1 lead after the first quarter. Cal Lutheran tried to match the Crimson in the second quarter, but were outscored 5-3 and Harvard had a 9-4 lead at the break. Harvard kept the points coming in the second half and finished off the Kingsmen.

Game Two – MIT 7, CLU 6

Jory added two goals against the Engineers and scored a total of 14 goals in a span of four games. This game was all about the defense and missed opportunities. The Kingsmen recorded 25 shots, but had a hard time finding the back of the net. Blaauw led the team with two assists and Taylor Garcia and Tanner Kaplan both recorded two drawn ejections.

Defensively, Andre Rivas made 13 saves to keep the Kingsmen in the game. He led the team with three steals and George Lundgren added one more.

Both teams struggled offensively, scoring just two points in the first quarter and none in the second. The Engineers added one more in the third and took a 3-2 lead into the fourth. The offenses finally came alive in the final quarter as both scored four goals each. MIT had the last say as their shot in the final seconds proved to be the game winner.

After a four-game stretch on the road to start the season, the Kingsmen open the season at home with a familiar SCIAC foe. Cal Lutheran host Pomona-Pitzer on Sept. 21 at 11 a.m.

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