WHITTIER, Calif.— Cal Lutheran goalkeeper Andre Rivas recorded 10 saves, but it wasn't enough as Kingsmen water polo dropped its third consecutive game to a SCIAC opponent, Whittier, 12-5 on Saturday afternoon.
The Kingsmen have lost six straight game since opening the season with a win. They are 1-6 overall and 0-3 in conference play after facing three tough SCIAC opponents.
Whittier got on the board first and scored two points before CLU's Dillon Goldsmith answered with a goal. The Poets scored one more in the quarter and took a 3-1 lead at the end of the first. WC picked up their defense in the second half, shutting out the Kingsmen 2-0 and had a 5-1 lead at the half.
CLU's offense got going in the second half, but Whittier matched them in goals as both teams scored three times. The Poets' defense picked back up in the fourth, outscoring the Kingsmen 4-1 and won the game 12-5.
Goldsmith and Justin Krause both led the offense with two goals and George Lundgren added one more. Both teams were unsuccessful in converting on exclusions as the Kingsmen had five in all with Hans Cole recording three. The turnovers were a problem for Cal Lutheran as they committed 15.
The defense did what it could to keep the came close as Whittier totaled 34 shots to Cal Lutheran's 16. Krause was big defensively for CLU and tallied four steals to lead the team.
Cal Lutheran returns to the road as the Kingsmen search for their first conference win. They face off with Caltech on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Box Score: WC 12, CLU 5
CLU Instagram: CLUSports
Sport IG: kingsmen_water_polo
CLU Twitter: CLUSports
Sport Twitter: CLUmWaterPolo
CLU Facebook: CLUSports
Hashtags: #clusports #ownthethrone #goregals #gokingsmen #theSCIAC #ncaad3
Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director