by Chrissy Zehrbach
Sports Editor
The University of La Verne men’s water polo team racked up two wins with the start of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season this week.
With victories over Cal Lutheran and Occidental, the Leopards are undefeated in SCIAC (2-0) and have an overall record of 7-10.
“They were two good wins for us,” said Will Hernandez, ULV driver.
With its strong conference performance, the squad maintains a No. 7 national ranking in the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Division III Top-10 Poll.
The Leopards took on Cal Lu Wednesday night in Thousand Oaks – Cal Lu’s second match in the first SCIAC season in the squad’s history.
The new team could not keep up with the Leopards’ pace and were defeated 14-3.
Although the Kingsmen were the first to score, the Leopards pounded out goals relentlessly.
Junior Owen Barrett and senior Jason Walters each contributed four goals to the win. Following close behind was freshman Ryan Jensen, with three goals of his own.
In the conference season opener, ULV challenged Occidental in Los Angeles Saturday.
Fresh from a 7-3 win over the Tigers the previous weekend, the Leopards were anxious for a repeat victory.
“Occidental was tough, but we came out strong,” Hernandez said.
Tied after the first quarter, 3-3, Occidental jumped to a 7-4 lead at halftime.
The Leopards picked it up in the second half with eight goals in the third quarter and three in the fourth.
The Tigers managed only four goals in the half, dropping the contest 15-11.
In another strong performance, Barrett put five points on the board for the Leopards.
Freshman goalie Kevin Morris recorded nine saves in the game, assisting the win. Morris totaled 17 saves in the two games combined.
ULV takes on Pomona-Pitzer at 2 p.m., tomorrow in Claremont and Caltech at 2 p.m., Wednesday, at home.
