Men's polo stays atop SCIAC standings with win over No. 6 Cal Lu

ORANGE, Calif. – After scoring a combined 50 goals in their previous two contests, the Chapman University men's water polo team showcased their defense in a 13-6 win over No. 6 Cal Lutheran at the Allred Olympic Pool on Saturday. The victory marked the third straight for the Panthers, who have opened their conference schedule with two straight wins.

Chapman dominated possession in the first quarter, scoring three times while sophomore goalkeeper Stephen Neil held the Kingsmen scoreless. Senior driver James Vigeant put the Panthers on the board first, breaking a scoreless tie that lasted for the first 4:10 of the contest. Fellow drivers junior Mark Alvarado and senior Jack Cutler added two more goals to support Neil, sending Chapman into the second quarter with a 3-0 lead.

The second quarter began much like the first, with goals from Vigeant and Alvarado that extended the Panthers' lead to 5-0. Before the end of the half, Vigeant would add his third of a match-high four goals, followed by a goal from junior driver Dor Apffel that gave the Panthers a 7-0 advantage.

Not content with a seven goal advantage, the Panthers added two more goals early in the third quarter as Alvarado and senior utility Brett Carter got past Cal Lutheran goalkeeper Jesse Owen. Cal Lutheran would finally respond with their first goal, 18 minutes and 40 seconds into the contest Spencer McGrath 5:20 mark.

The Kingsmen and Panthers traded goals over the final 13 minutes, highlighted by a long distance goal from Neil, his first of the season.

After playing five straight home matches, the Panthers will finally head back out on the road, traveling to La Verne on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. match with the Leopards, followed by a Saturday showdown against the Bulldogs at Redlands at 11 a.m.

Boxscore: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/mwaterpolo/2013-14/files/Chapman_vs._Cal_Lu.pdf

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

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