ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's water polo team put up a dominant performance as they rolled past Occidental 21-11 in its 2018 home opener. Ten different Panthers scored, but sophomore Hunter Ramaekers led the way with four goals.
Chapman (3-11, 1-2 SCIAC) found the back of the net early as junior Cameron Genetti scored in a man-up situation just a minute and a half into the match. Two more goals put the Panthers up 3-0 with 3:30 left to play in the first quarter. The Tigers (7-2, 0-2 SCIAC) answered with a goal from freshman Cian Concannon to make the score 3-1 after the first quarter of play.
The second quarter saw a surge in offense, with Chapman outscoring Occidental 7-3 to take a 10-4 lead heading into halftime. Freshmen Ethan Walter and Evan Belli, sophomores Garrett Wilson and Ramaekers and senior Brady Hoskins each netted a goal in the second quarter, while freshman Graham Asalone found the back of the net twice.
The Tigers came out swinging at the beginning of the third quarter, scoring a goal just over a minute after the opening whistle. Ramaekers answered back 19 seconds later with his second goal of the match, followed by three consecutive Chapman goals to put the Panthers up 14-5 with just under four minutes left to play in the quarter. Occidental found the net three more times in the third, but the Panthers had a comfortable 16-8 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
The Tigers scored three times in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to pull within six points, but Chapman finished out the match with four consecutive goals to finish off a dominant performance.
Just behind Rameakers in the scoring column were Genetti, Asalone, and fellow freshman Evan Belli, who each notched a hat trick. Wilson and Hoskins each netted a pair, while freshman Ethan Walter, juniors Keith Kulick and Eric Sichak and senior Holt Fundament added one goal apiece.
Asalone also tallied five assists, five steals and one earned ejection to help the Panthers. Freshman Brad Wilson, Belli, Ramaekers, Hoskins and Fundament each tallied a pair of assists in Chapman's first SCIAC victory. The Panthers also tallied 23 steals tonight, the most in a single game this season.
Junior goalkeeper Wesley Hertel recorded nine blocks in three quarters of play, while sophomore Jack Gregov tallied two blocks in his one quarter of action.
The Panthers return to the pool on Wednesday, Oct. 3 to host the University of Redlands at 7pm.
by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant
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