THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's water polo was victorious on Senior Day as they took down Whittier 16-14 on Saturday afternoon.
The Kingsmen graduating class included David Brandt, Ben Brown, Taylor Garcia, Dillon Goldsmith and Cole Weiderman. The group had a big impact on the game and guided their team to a win.
With the win, Cal Lutheran clinched a spot in the SCIAC Tournament. The Kingsmen are now 6-3 in conference and 12-13 overall.
Goldsmith and Brown both recorded five goals and the Kingsmen offense exploded. Luke Matthies added a hat trick as Cal Lutheran was on a roll. Garcia and Goldsmith dished out three assists each and Brown and Bryan Lynch both added two. Goldmsith showed off a complete, offensive game as he added five drawn ejections.
Bo DuBois was in goal for the Kingsmen. The freshman has been a huge piece for Cal Lutheran and did so again on Saturday afternoon. He recorded nine saves, two steals and one assist.
The teams exchanged goals in the first quarter and the game was tied 3-3 after eight minutes. Whittier took the first, big lead of the game, scoring three straight points to open the second. Cal Lutheran played for their seniors, looking to make a comeback, and scored three of the next four points to cut the lead to one at 7-6. The Kingsmen made a complete comeback in the quarter, sending the game to halftime tied 7-7.
After the two runs of goals in the second quarter, the third quarter got back to exchanging goals. The Kingsmen went up 11-9 as Garcia found Matthies for a no-look goal. Cal Lutheran scored three of the final four goals of the quarter and took a 12-10 lead to the fourth. The game continued to be a nail-biter as Cal Lutheran led by one point midway through the fourth. The Kingsmen made it a two-goal lead as Brown converted a five-meter with 2:45 left. The goal gave Cal Lutheran the final momentum as the Kingsmen defeated the Poets on Senior Day.
The Kingsmen have two games left, one home, and one away. Next up, Cal Lutheran host Occidental on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 16, WC 14
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