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Forrest Gray
Tatum Benson
14
Winner UC Merced UCM (0)
11
Fresno Pacific FPU (0)
Winner
UC Merced UCM
(0)
14
Final
11
Fresno Pacific FPU
(0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
UC Merced UCM 3 3 5 3 14
Fresno Pacific FPU 3 3 3 2 11
21
Winner Santa Clara SCU (0)
5
Fresno Pacific FPU (0)
Winner
Santa Clara SCU
(0)
21
Final
5
Fresno Pacific FPU
(0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Santa Clara SCU 4 7 6 4 21
Fresno Pacific FPU 0 1 2 2 5

Game Recap: Men's Water Polo |

'Birds Fall in Two Bruising Contests to Open Season

FRESNO, Calif.-After a bruising battle with UC Merced in which they just come up short the FPU Men's Water Polo team ran into a bruising Santa Clara squad, dropping both games to start the 2023 campaign at the Sunnyside Aquatics Center Saturday.

The 'Birds came up short against UC Merced, falling 14-11, they dropped the afternoon game 21-5 to Santa Clara.

The Sunbirds trailed from the opening moments against UC Merced but hung tight, as Pietro Cattano scored back-to-back goals at the end of the first quarter to tie the game at three.

UC Merced regained the lead on two separate occasions in the second quarter, capitalizing on powerplays, but FPU scored three goals in response to take the lead with Scott Tashima notching his first collegiate goal.

That lead only lasted for thirty seconds and UC Merced tied the game at 6 before halftime.

The Bobcats found their footing in the third quarter, tallying five goals in the period and eventually building an 11-9 lead.

Christian Clark, Blake Johnson and Cole Sjoblom all delivered goals for FPU, but the Sunbirds task was to play catch-up in the fourth.

Instead, the difference slipped to three on two separate goals and FPU couldn't capitalize on a pair of late chances that would have made it a one goal game.

Exclusions also piled up as the Sunbirds had two players foul out in the second half.

UC Merced dropped its second game of the season, falling to Santa Clara 22-7.

That same Santa Clara team kept its momentum against FPU, shutting down the Sunbirds to take a 4-0 lead in the first.

Tashima found the back of the cage to get FPU on the board at the beginning of the second, but that was the lone goal while Santa Clara scored seven more times.

Forrest Gray and Christian Clark each scored in the second half but Santa Clara secured its second win of the season.

Fresno Pacific will hit the road next week, traveling to Southern California for the Inland Empire Classic in Redlands and LaVerne.

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