CLAREMONT, Calif.— Ben Brown recorded a hat trick and No. 5 Cal Lutheran men's water polo shut out No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as the Stags held off the Kingsmen and won 10-8 on Wednesday afternoon.
The loss broke the Kingsmen's nine game win streak, and their four game conference win streak. CLU (11-8, 4-4 SCIAC) remains in the No. 4 spot in the standings with six conference games to go.
Brown scored two goals in the fourth quarter as the Kingsmen's comeback fell short. It is the second straight hat trick for Brown who also had three steals. Five more Kingsmen scored in the game as the offense kept moving the ball.
The Cal Lutheran defense continued to shine and kept the Kingsmen in the game as they came up with 12 steals. Dillon Goldsmith tied with Brown to lead the team with three and George Lundgren was next with two. Cole Weiderman led the team with drawn ejections and tallied five while Andre Rivas made 10 steals in the cage.
CMS opened the game with a goal, followed by two from the Kingsmen as Brown and Goldsmith gave CLU its first lead of the game. The Stags added two more goals the last with 29 seconds left, as they took a 3-2 lead to the second.
The Kingsmen had their chances to tie the game early, but committed a foul or turned the ball over four times in the first few minutes. The score would eventually be tied at 3 as Hans Cole found the back of the net with 3:31 left in the half. With CMS up 4-3, CLU had its chance to answer, as Weiderman drew an ejection to get a powerplay, but the Kingsmen could not convert and CMS had the lead at the break.
The Stags picked up the pace in the second half. They outscored the Kingsmen 6-2 in the third and doubled up CLU as the game headed to the fourth. Tommy Corey and Stephen Blaauw each added a goal during the quarter.
Cal Lutheran needed a comeback in the fourth and started off on the right foot. The Kingsmen scored three straight goals in the quarter and cut the lead to a 2-point game with 2:46 left. Brown added two goals and Lundgren delivered one more. The comeback came up just short as CMS held off the Kingsmen and won the game.
After being away for two games, Cal Lutheran returns home to take on Redlands Saturday at 11 a.m.
Box Score: CMS 10, CLU 8
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director