With their 8-2 win over Cal Lutheran last Saturday, the Pomona-Pitzer men’s water polo team finished their regular season tied with CMS for first place in SCIAC. Although both teams have 6-1 records in SCIAC play, the Stags’ head-to-head victory over the Sagehens earlier in the season gives them the first seed—P-P will enter the SCIAC tournament seeded number two.
Energized by their home crowd on Senior Night, Sagehen water polo exploded for an early lead over Cal Lutheran, going up 4-0 in the second quarter before the Kingsmen converted a five-meter penalty shot with 32 seconds left for their only point of the first half. The Sagehen offense continued to dominate throughout the second half, outscoring their opponent 4-1 to win the game 8-2. Although captain and goalkeeper Kyle Pokorny PO ’12 nearly saved the Kingsmen’s only goal during the second half, the blocked shot still managed to spin into the back of the net. Pokorny accumulated 13 saves over the course of the game.
After handling Cal Lutheran and clinching second place in the SCIAC tournament, the Sagehens took on Air Force later that night. Three goals from Jason Cox PZ ’13, including his 50th of the season, weren’t enough to lift the Sagehens over the visiting Falcons. In the first quarter, the Falcons broke out to an early lead, going up 4-1. The Sagehens’ only goal of the quarter came when Cox converted a man-up situation to score with 2:03 remaining. The Sagehens rallied to win the second quarter and make the score 5-3 going into halftime. In the second half, the teams exchanged points before Cox scored his 50th goal of the season to bring his team within three with 6:31 remaining. But the Sagehens couldn’t quite overcome the Falcon defense, and the scoreboard read 9-5 at the final whistle. With this loss, the Sagehens finished the regular season at 10-18.
P-P will kick off the SCIAC tournament today at 10 a.m. against La Verne. The second-ranked Sagehens will seek to overcome the seventh-ranked Leopards to win a spot in the semifinal match, in which they would take on the winner of Cal Lutheran vs. Occidental. Earlier in the season, Pomona-Pitzer easily defeated La Verne, winning by a margin of nine points (17-8). But this time, La Verne will be cheered on by their home crowd as hosts of the SCIAC tournament. If the Sagehens can continue their success, they will play their semi-final match this Saturday at 1:30. The final game will be played at 3:15 on Sunday. All games will be played at the La Verne Aquatics Center, located at 3175 Bollinger Avenue. Admission is free for any students, faculty or staff wishing to attend.
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