ORANGE, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran University men's water polo team lead from start to finish, defeating host Chapman University 14-11 in the fifth-place match of the SCIAC Men's Water Polo Championships at Allred Pool on Sunday afternoon. The Kingsmen avenged a regular season loss to the Panthers 13-6 at Chapman just last month.
Chapman's (9-12 overall, 6-5 SCIAC) championship hopes came to a disappointing end this weekend as Division III's No. 3-ranked Panthers finished the tournament with a 1-2 record and in sixth place.
The Panthers mounted a comeback in the second half, including cutting the Kingsmen lead to one goal twice in the fourth quarter. But Cal Lu thwarted Chapman's advances thanks to a big game in goal by Kingsmen goalie Jesse Owen who made 16 saves in the game. The Panthers took 27 shots in all.
The Kingsmen were led by Hunter Hamaker who scored three of his match-high five goals in the fourth quarter. Cal Lutheran (14-16 overall, 6-5 SCIAC) scored six fourth-quarter goals to kill the Panthers' rally. Max Zappas also scored three goals for CLU.
For Chapman, seniors James Vigeant and Dylan Trumbull each scored a pair of goals in the final games of their careers. Another senior, Brett Carter tallied a goal and seven assists in the defeat.
A complete recap of Sunday's championships and more can be found at the SCIAC Men's Water Polo Championship website here: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/mwaterpolo/tournament/index
by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director
Boxscore: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/mwaterpolo/tournament/Game_12.pdf
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