The men’s water polo team dropped their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match-up Oct. 16 against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 13-7, at the Axelwood Aquatics Center in Claremont.
The Leopards fell behind early as CMS senior attacker Will Clark put the Stags up with two fast break goals, the first one coming 25 seconds after the game began. Then Leopards would fall behind 4-0 by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter the Leopards tightened up their defense and did not allow a goal, however the stiff defense of CMS did not break.
The lone goal came early in the quarter when sophomore center Peter Trinh found the back of the net for the Leopards, trimming the lead 4-1. The score remained 4-1 until halftime.
CMS gathered themselves during halftime and came out firing in the third quarter. Their defense remained strong and after stopping a Leopard attack, a long pass from senior CMS goalkeeper Noah Smith found senior utility player Christian Thornton wide open for the first goal of the second half increasing the Stag lead to 5-1.
Quick passing around the perimeter of the Leopard defense exposed many holes in the middle, allowing for clean shot attempts from CMS attackers. The Stags would score three more goals increasing the lead to 8-1 before the Leopards would respond.
Freshman attacker Cody Lehotsky took the ball himself as he slipped past a defender and beat the Stags’ goalkeeper one-on-one to finish his drive. The Leopards and stags would swap goals and the Leopards trimed the CMS lead 12-4.
In the fourth quarter the Leopards would score a few more goals however the CMS attack was too much and the hole was too deep. The Stags would beat the Leopards, 13-7.
The Leopards went on to beat Caltech on Oct. 20, 18-10, and lose two games to Occidental on Saturday, 17-6, and Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday, 19-4.
The Leopards now sit with a record of 1-7 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and 3-13 overall.
The Leopards will host Redlands at 11 a.m. Saturday at the La Verne Aquatic Center.
—Jacob Barriga
Jacob Barriga, a senior journalism major, is a copy editor for the Campus Times. He has also served as sports editor and a staff writer.
William Zeus Hardy, a senior photography major, is a staff photographer for the Campus Times. His work can also be found at williamhardy.mypixieset.com.
