Chapman settles for season-opening split

ORANGE, Calif. - On a warm opening day, the Chapman University men's water polo team split a pair of games at the Allred Aquatics Center on Saturday. The Panthers won their first game 13-8 over University of La Verne and then dropped its afternoon match 11-9 to Whittier College.

Game 1: Chapman 13, La Verne 8
After falling behind 2-0 in the first few minutes of Saturday's morning-match, Chapman senior utility Alex Mulé scored four goals within three minutes to give Chapman the lead for good en route to a 13-8 season-opening victory.

The Panthers built its lead to six goals on a goal by junior driver Mario Ruiz in the fourth quarter. Freshman goalie Taylor Roszkos started his first career game and tallied four first half saves followed by senior goalie Colin Gasper in the second half who had eight saves.

La Verne (0-1) jumped ahead 2-0 in the first quarter on goals by sophomore utility Emerson Gant and senior Jonathon Wallace.

Score by Quarters                     1          2          3          4          Final    
La Verne (0-1)                            2          2          1          3          8
Chapman (1-0)                           2          6          3          2          13        

ULV Goals: Wallace (2), Grant, MacKay, Roche, Steele, Stump, Villalpando,
CU Goals: Mulé (7), Masson, Neville, Ruiz, Siordia, Thatcher, Tornambe,

CU Goalie Blocks: Gasper (8)

Game 2: Whittier 11, Chapman 9
In a closely contested second game, Whittier College never trailed. Once again the Panthers fell behind 2-0 quickly in the first quarter and had to play catch-up. Mulé scored two consecutive goals to even the score at 2-2.

Whittier then ran off three goals in a row and Chapman came back with three of its own to tie the game 5-5 in the second quarter which would be as close as the Panthers would get the rest of the way. A goal by Whittier senior utility Alex Perry with one second remaining in the first half pushing the score to 6-5 gave the Poets the lead for good as they went on to a 11-9 victory. Gasper made 16 saves in the cage for Chapman (1-1).

Junior utility Matt Siordia led the Panthers with three goals in the defeat.

Score by Quarters                     1          2          3          4          Final    
Whittier (1-1)                              3          3          4          1          8
Chapman (1-1)                           2          3          3          1          13        

WC Goals: Babot (3), Villa (3), Perry (2), Van Norman (2), Jackson
CU Goals: Siordia (3), Masson (2), Mulé (2), Neville, Therrien

WC Goalie Blocks: Regehr (16)
CU Goalie Blocks: Gasper (16)