LOS ANGELES — California Lutheran University men's water polo got back to its winning ways defeating the Occidental Tigers 12-10 in overtime on Saturday afternoon.
Down 9-7 with 1:07 to play, the Kingsmen called a timeout. The Purple and Gold scored, off a set play, and the defense made a stop, giving the offense one final chance to tie. The offense did just that and the Kingsmen forced overtime.
The rest was history as Cal Lutheran improved to 10-2 in SCIAC play, holding down the No. 2 spot. The Kingsmen secured their 20th victory on the year to just four losses.
Leading the way for the Kingsmen was Parker Jory and Lincoln Hall. The duo had three goals each while Cole Weiderman and Wyatt Lowe added two apiece.
In goal for the Purple and Gold was Jonathan Salandi. After a rough start, Salandi turned it around with 10 saves and kept the Kingsmen in the game.
Cal Lutheran went down 2-0 to start the game and found themselves in an early hole as Occidental led 3-1 after the first quarter. The game continued to be a defensive battle in the second quarter, and the deficit grew to three, as the Kingsmen trailed 5-2 at the half.
The Purple and Gold got things going in the third. The offense scored four goals, cutting into the lead, while the defense allowed just one. Heading to the fourth, the Tigers were up by just one, 7-6. Both defenses continued their stellar play as neither team could score in the first four minutes.
Occidental finally broke the seal as the Tigers went up by two with 3:22 left. The Kingsmen answered on the ensuing possession, but Oxy returned the favor, keeping the lead at two. Cal Lutheran had bad luck in the fourth quarter, hitting post after post, but still had their chances to tie in the final minutes. Down 9-8, with 38 seconds left on the clock, the Kingsmen called a timeout to set up a play.
Stephen Blaauw scored the equalizer with 31 seconds left, looking for the defense to make a last stand in regulation. The Kingsmen did just that, and forced overtime.
Cal Lutheran took its first lead of the game as The Kingsmen opened overtime with a goal. CLU scored the only goals in the first overtime period, and had an 11-9 lead with three minutes to play in the second overtime. Oxy flipped the script in the second overtime, and cut the lead to one. With 54 seconds left, the Tigers called a timeout, looking to tie up the game. This time it was Cal Lutheran's defense that made the stand, giving the Kingsmen a hard-earned victory.
The Kingsmen stay on the road for their next contest and take on Caltech Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Box score: CLU 12, OXY 10
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
