CLAREMONT, Calif. – Taking a dip into the pool at the Axelrood Aquatics Center, the men's water polo team rallied in the two final matches of the Gary Troyer Tournament. The Sunbirds fought tooth and nail to close the four-point gap, but ultimately fell to Ottawa and Cal Lutheran in the tightly contested matches.

"This weekend the team really showed what we are capable of against four quality opponents," said first-year head coach Jonathan Miller. "Our win over La Verne was probably our best performance of the year so far on both ends of the pool. We fought hard in the other three games and are looking forward to our first conference game next week."

GAME 1 | Ottawa (Ariz.) 10-14
FPU and Ottawa engaged in a back-and-forth battle, with OUAZ striking first. The Sunbirds responded with a three-goal run, highlighted by Christian Clark's equalizer, and took the lead into the second period. OUAZ regained momentum in the second quarter, with Misky a another goal and a converted penalty, pushing them ahead 5-4 by halftime. Despite the Sunbirds' five-goal effort to close the gap, including a goal by Clark in the final period, Ottawa maintained control, securing a 14-10 victory. Clark captured his third hat trick of the weekend and goalkeeper Chase Hammes tallied nine saves between the bars.
 
GAME 2 | Cal Lutheran 11-15

Fresno Pacific started strong with Tristin Fox scoring and Jake Canales adding another, giving them an early 2-0 lead. Cal Lutheran responded with a sequence of goals to pull ahead 4-3. The first period ended with the Kingsmen leading 5-4 over the Sunbirds. In the second period, Castillo added another goal for Cal Lutheran, but Fresno Pacific stayed close with goals from Samuel Ramos and Fox, bringing the score to 7-6. The third period saw a back-and-forth battle, highlighted by Fox's penalty shot, though the Kingsmen maintained their edge with a lead of 10-8. In the final period, Cal Lutheran pulled away with multiple goals, ultimately securing a 15-11 victory. Chris Sandino netted four goals in the match, contributing one crucial assist, several steals and a fast sprint win for the Sunbirds. The Sunbirds managed five power-play goals but could not overcome the Kingsmen' balanced attack.

NEXT UP: The Sunbirds face UC Merced in the first match of WWPA Conference play on October 11^th at 1 pm.

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