Men's water polo opens up season 2-0

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Chapman University men's water polo team earned a two-game sweep over the weekend defeating Fresno Pacific University 10-9 in game one and Concordia University 13-11 in game two on Saturday at the Whittier Tournament.

In the season opener for Chapman, senior Willis Allen and sophomore Jeff O'Brien earned three goals apiece against Fresno Pacific. The Panthers opened up the game with a 3-0 lead and tagged on another three in the second quarter to take a 6-3 lead at the end of the first half. The Sunbirds crawled back into the game with six goals in the second-half but weren't able to find the equalizer giving the Panthers a 10-9 victory.

In game two, Concordia took an early 3-2 lead, but the Panthers battled back with five goals in the second quarter to take the lead 7-6. Chapman then capitalized on its momentum and added another six goals to earn a 13-11 victory over the Eagles. O'Brien led the Panthers with four goals, while sophomore Christopher Garau added a team high of six assists.  

Leading the Panther defense was senior Stephen Neil who recorded 16 blocks against Fresno Pacific and an additional 10 against Concordia recording 26 blocks and five steals over two games.

Chapman will travel to Claremont, Calif. for the Inland Empire Classic on September 12, for a double header beginning with Southern California at 11:40 a.m. and Redlands at 3 p.m.

by Raquel Rinauro
Sports Information Assistant

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