ORANGE, Calif. — Men's water polo begins postseason play in the SCIAC tournament on Friday, Nov. 17 at Claremont-M-S. Here is what you need to know for the upcoming semifinal contest.

The Matchup

The No. 4 seeded Panthers will take on the No. 1 seed Stags for the third time this season. CMS won both meetings 16-5 on Sept. 27 and Nov. 8, but in the most recent contest, the Panthers only trailed 9-5 heading into the final quarter.

CMS is 20-7 overall and 11-1 in SCIAC play. They're ranked No. 1 in the CWPA poll, while the Panthers are ranked No. 4 in the nation. 

Excellent Everett

Everett Prussak leads the Panthers in goals with 75 and is third in the SCIAC in that category. Prussak also ranks sixth in the conference in assists with 32. 

In his career, Prussak has scored 171 goals and has led the Panthers to their best record in SCIAC play since 2017 when water polo finished 10-4.

In addition to Prussak, Nate Randolph has been stellar in the set scoring 49 goals on the season.

Dynamic Duo

Tanner McMillen and Ben Blatt have been stout in goal for the Panthers all season. The two combined for 184 saves thus far, averaging over 10 saves per game through each of their nine starts. 

One win away

With a victory in Friday's contest, the Panthers would clinch a spot in the CWPA Division III National Championship tournament. Chapman has yet to qualify for the championships thus far in program history.