ORANGE, Calif. – Another championship match came down to the final possession as the Chapman University men's water polo team took on Redlands in the USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate Championship, but fell 14-13.
The Panthers played a one-goal game for the fifth match in a row as all four postseason matches were decided by one goal as was the regular season finale at Whittier. The Bulldogs also defeated the Panthers in the SCIAC Championship by a single goal – a golden goal in overtime.
The Panthers came out hot and led for much of the first quarter. A high-scoring opening eight minutes saw Chapman take a 5-4 lead. The teams traded goals in the second quarter but Christian Gotterup converted a five-meter shot in the final minute to give Chapman an 8-7 lead.
Gotterup led the Panthers with four goals while Everett Prussak and Davin Castillo each added a hat trick. Jackson Sanders was solid in goal, making 14 saves to keep his team in the game. He denied several Bulldogs with 1-on-1 opportunities, including a a huge stop in the third quarter as the Bulldogs tried to pull away.
Redlands scored five of the first six goals in the third quarter to take a 12-9 lead bu Castillo completed his hat trick in the final minute of the quarter to pull the Panthers within two.
Nate Randolph pulled the Panthers within a goal to open the scoring in the fourth quarter but the teams went on to trade the next several scores. The Bulldogs led 14-12 as the clock ticked to under one minute. Redlands' was whistled for an exclusion and the Panthers quickly restarted play to get a wide open shot for Gotterup with 48 seconds remaining.
The Chapman defense held strong and kept the Bulldogs from taking a shot on their final possession, prompting a timeout and an extra attacker to be brought on for Chapman. Gotterup put on the goalie cap and fired off a shot in the final two seconds – the same time the Panthers tied the game in the SCIAC Championship to start overtime.
However, Roberto Barrera was able to get a piece of it this time and send it over the cage. Time expired as the corner throw came in and the Bulldogs claimed the Division III title.
The Panthers advanced to the Division III title match for the first time in program history and won 16 games – the second-most in program history. Chapman ends the season as the runner-up in Division III with a 16-15 overall record.
