WHITTIER, Calif. — It was a defensive showing from Cal Lutheran men's water polo and the Whittier Poets as goals were hard to come by on Saturday morning. The Poets hosted the first conference game of the year for both teams and it was the Kingsmen that came out on top with a score of 8-6.
Bo DuBois was in goal and recorded nine saves and one steal to lead the defense. Ben Brown and Dillon Goldsmith both tallied two steals and five more Kingsmen added one.
On offense, Luke Matthies picked up a hat trick while Adam Dow, Dillon Goldsmith, Taylor Garcia, Cole Weiderman and Johnny Wotawa each added one. Garcia dished out two assists and Weiderman had three drawn ejections.
The game was even through the first quarter. Whittier scored first, followed by Cal Lutheran with two goals and Whittier added one more before the buzzer sounded.
The Kingsmen doubled up the Poets in the second quarter before the Poets scored a goal with 42 seconds left. Cal Lutheran took a 4-3 lead into the half.
The game continued to go back and forth as Whittier tied the game and took the lead at 6-5 after three quarters.
Cal Lutheran answered back as Wotawa tied the game on the first possession in the fourth. The defenses shut down the offenses for most of the quarter.
Late in the game, and still tied at six, Cal Lutheran had a chance with a powerplay opportunity. The Kingsmen converted as Matthies scored to put his team up 7-6 with 3:27 remaining. Cal Lutheran added one more goal at the buzzer and picked up the win.
After being away for nine games, the Kingsmen will finally be at home for their next game. Cal Lutheran is hosting Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 8, WC 6
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