Panthers' offense halted in 15-9 loss to Concordia

ORANGE, Calif. – After averaging more than 18 goals per match over its last six contests, the Chapman University men's water polo team were stymied by the Concordia University Eagles, falling 15-9 on Saturday at the Allred Olympic Pool. The nine goals marked the fewest by the Panthers since suffering a 16-6 loss to UC Irvine on Sept. 18.

The match was a defensive battle from the outset as the two teams combined for just three goals in the opening quarter. Senior utility Brett Carter netted the first of his three goals in the match, but Concordia quickly responded with consecutive goals from Jacob Pril and Andras Antal that gave the Eagles a 2-1 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Concordia (18-8) goalkeeper Jamie Saunders and his defense continued their relentless attack in the second quarter before a goal from junior driver Dor Apffel snapped a scoreless streak of more than eight minutes. Apffel's goal, one of his three on the day, failed to bring Chapman (7-6) any momentum as the Eagles closed out the half with consecutive goals to enter halftime with a 5-2 lead.

The Eagles continued their run into the second half as three straight goals gave them an 8-2 lead with 5:35 left in the third quarter. Chapman's offensive struggles continued with several failed attempts to sneak a goal past Saunders until Carter snapped the second Panthers scoreless streak of more than eight minutes with his second goal of the contest. The goal appeared to energize the Panthers, who would score three more times before the end of the quarter to enter the fourth trailing 11-6.

Despite scoring four times in the third quarter, Chapman failed to muster any momentum in the final eight minutes as the Eagles poured it on with four of the first five goals en route to their 15-9 victory.

The Panthers will travel to Pomona-Pitzer this week for a showdown with the Sagehens on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Senior Day will take place next Saturday when Chapman hosts Whittier and Stanford for a doubleheader that begins at 11 a.m.

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

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

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