Water polo win inaugural contest
Campus Times
September 18, 1998
Junior Mike Miles, the Leopards starting goalkeeper, is challenged
by a hard shot on goal in La Verne's 14-11 win over Pomona-Pitzer in the
Hillman Tournament last Saturday. The Leopards received second place after
losing to host Whittier College Sunday in the championship match. La Verne
won its first ever game, defeating Chapman, 17-5.
by Scott Harvey
Assistant Managing Editor
Starting out with a new program can be tough for any athletic coach,
but men's water polo coach Tim Hugar is all smiles after earning a convincing
second place in the Hillman Tournament held last Saturday and Sunday at
Whittier College.
The first-year team started preparing for the season on Aug. 31 after
a long summer of anticipation from Hugar, students and alumni supporters.
"Starting practice so close to the season, we didn't have a whole
lot of time to work on things," Hugar said.
"We basically worked on skills and began getting to know each other's
game."
Hugar is no stranger to the arena of competitive water polo after playing
for University of California, Santa Barbara, and coaching at Princeton University
for six years before bringing his expertise to La Verne. Also joining Hugar
is assistant Terry Billish, a talented water polo player and swimmer from
the University of Illinois.
The Hillman Tournament gave Hugar a better feeling about his players'
abilities, as the Leopards rallied to defeat their inaugural opponent in
presidential style 17-5 against a seasoned Chapman team.
"This team is a tough group, I think we made a statement last weekend,
and I'm sure many people were surprised at our performance," said Hugar.
In the second game, La Verne would be tested early by a talented Pomona-Pitzer
team, as the Sagehens scored two goals in the opening two minutes of the
first period through the hands of Leopards junior goalkeeper Mike Miles.
La Verne did not back down, scoring four straight goals in the final
minutes of the first, including an impressive goal by sophomore hole guard
Ian Gratz on a cross pass to up the score to 4-2.
The second period started off again in La Verne's favor, as junior Shannon
Kay drove toward the goal and scored to lead the Sagehens by three, 5-2.
Pomona was not intimidated by the lead and quickly scored five goals in
the closing minutes of the half.
Before the half ended, the Leopards surged on and added two more for
their side, including a powerful shot from junior Kenny Clements, which
tied the score at half 7-7.
"Pomona is a strong team. They have a lot of different weapons,
but I felt we played them tough," said Hugar.
After a half court score, which in water polo counts for two points,
Pomona-Pitzer started the second half strongly leading 9-7.
After a dog fight in the closing minutes of the second half, La Verne
finally closed the book on the Sagehens scoring two consecutive two-point
goals and eventually upsetting Pomona 14-11.
"We played with a lot of heart and character this weekend, but
we still need to learn about each other offensively and defensively,"
Hugar said.
ULV went on in the second day of the tournament in style winning its
first game of the day against Occidental University, 8-4, but eventually
lost in the championship match to the host school, Whittier College.
The Leopards are currently preparing for league and on the way will
face a tough Redlands team, which last week upset Claremont-Mudd-Scripps,
the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) champion
in 1997.
"Usually Redlands is very strong, so I think this weekend will
be a big test on how well we will do in league," said Hugar.
Also lurking along the way to SCIAC is Division I powerhouse Santa Clara,
who, according to Hugar, will be a beacon to a whole new world of water
polo for his players.
La Verne will compete in the Inland Empire Tournament tomorrow at 8
a.m. in Redlands and will travel to the University of California Santa Cruz
Slugfest on Oct. 3 and 4 in Santa Cruz.
ULV's first home match will be the Claremont Convergence on Oct. 16
and 17 and will feature the first competitive water sport played in the
new Los Flores Park facility.
