Water polo drowns BYU

by Amanda Stutevoss
Editor in Chief

The University of La Verne men's water polo team took on top competitors last weekend in the 10th annual Claremont Convergence Tournament hosted by Claremont McKenna College and Pomona-Pitzer.

The Leopards played four games of tournament play and finished 3-1, suffering their only loss in game one to the Lancers of Cal Baptist, 15-6.

The second game was better for the young Leopard team as it held onto the victory against Chapman.

The Leopards scored four of their eight goals in the first period and were able to hold the Panther offense scoreless throughout the first.

However, the Panthers' strong defense retaliated, keeping the Leopards from seeing the cage in the second while burying two goals, bringing the score to 4-2 going into the half.

At the start of the third quarter, the Panthers' Scott Chisholm had a skip shot off the water past the Leopards freshman goalie Ian Thornburn, moving the score to within one.

The Leopards sophomore driver Mike Saldana answered right back when he sank a shot on goal from five meters out.

Saldana, who had four of the Leopards' eight goals, shot another rocket past Chapman goalie B.J. Ploessel with 3:40 left in the period.

Junior co-captain Jason Walters was ejected with 49 seconds left in the period, giving Chapman the five-on-six advantage. However, Chapman was unable to use the leverage as ULV held the Panthers, ending the third period 5-3.

With victory in sight for the Leopards, the Panthers began to feel the pressure. Chapman stepped up their game and had the highest scoring period, sinking four goals on the Leopards defense throughout the fourth and final period.

Despite the Panther resistance, the Leopards were able to score three more goals, leaving the Leopards on top the final score, 8-7.

Thornburn gave a strong defensive performance, finishing with 10 saves.

Saturday brought a new day for the Leopards.

ULV had the early game against University of Michigan, which began at 8:30 a.m. at Pomona's Haldeman Pool.

The Leopards captured their second win of the tournament by a score of 8-3.

ULV's toughest competition would take place later that day when it would be matched up against Division I competition Brigham Young University-Hawaii, who came into the game ranked 18th in the National collegiate polls.

The first ULV goal came on a five-on-six advantage after a BYU ejection. The Leopards worked the ball to freshman driver Jared Carvitto, who was inside the post. Carvitto skipped the ball under the arm of BYU goalie Alexsander Stankovic as he lifted to block the shot.

Carvitto struck again with less than 10 seconds left on the shot clock with a "textbook cross-cage shot," senior Alex La said.

During the second quarter, the Leopard defense played strong; however, BYU scored four goals, putting the score 2-4 going into the half.

After the half, the Leopards' strategy changed.

"We took away their inside game," Walters said, "forcing them to shoot outside, putting faith in Ian to block the shots."

The new strategy worked for ULV as it held BYU to only one goal in the third.

The Leopards were able to tie the game at five in the third period, after a goal from La.

Momentum changed in the fourth after Walters scored back-to-back goals. The goals put the Leopards up by two with four minutes left in the game.

Saldana scored one more goal near the end of the fourth, which sealed the deal for the Leopards. Their defense kept BYU to only two goals in the period, leaving the Leopards on top, 8-7

"We did the unexpected," La said.

The Leopards' next match-up will be at 4 p.m. on Wednesday against Claremont at Axelrood Pool.