Men's water polo hangs tight with No. 1 Sagehens

ORANGE, Calif — Men's water polo took the top-ranked Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens down to the wire, falling 12-11 after leading at the end of the first half.

Ryan Baumann, Dylan Gallegos and Everett Prussak combined for eight of the Panthers' goals. However, Chapman was able to keep the game close by playing stout defense throughout the contest.

While at full strength, the Sagehens couldn't get anything past Tanner McMillen who ended with ___ saves. Pomona-Pitzer capitalized on power play opportunities, scoring five of its goals in 6-on-5 situations.

The Panthers continued to fight, however, going on a 2-0 run at the end of the first half, scoring two goals on back-to-back possessions, with Prussak's first goal giving Chapman its 6-5 halftime lead.

Pomona-Pitzer broke away with four minutes remaining in the game scoring two goals taking a 12-10 lead with only 1:02 to go.

With the loss, Chapman fell to 10-12 on the season and 3-5 in SCIAC play. Pomona-Pitzer improved to 14-14 and 7-1 in SCIAC play. 

Chapman is still hanging on to its spot in the postseason, and they will look to gain more ground in the standings next Saturday when the Panthers take on Redlands at 7 p.m. on the road.

By Joe Perrino

Assistant SID / Recreation Sports Manager

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