HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Willem Palmer (Fr., Mill Valley, Calif.) scored three times as the Atlantic Division Champion Cavaliers of the University of Virginia took down Northwest Division Champion Oregon State University, 10-7, in a 13th/15th place game at the 2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission at the Huntsville Aquatics Center.
Due to the limited availability of pool time for the 30-game, three-day championship event, the 13th and 15th positions are not played out as Virginia ties with the University of Alabama – which defeated the Georgia Institute of Technology by a 6-1 count in the other 13th/15th place game – for 13th place, while Oregon State is the equal of the Yellow Jackets at No. 15.
- The game was a close affair in the first half as Wyatt Eckholt gave Oregon State a 1-0 lead with 4:32 left in the first quarter prior to Tyler Sweeney (Sr., McLean, Va.) launching in an equalizer at 2:45 to square the squads at one-all through seven minutes of action.
- Eckholt struck again at the 6:00 mark of the second quarter to put the Beavers back into the lead at 2-1, but Andrew Liu (Sr., Herndon, Va.) (3:30, even-strength) and Zach Yahn (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) (1:45, man-up) provided Virginia its inaugural lead of the contest at 3-2 via back-to-back goals.
- Ian Kittell balanced the scoreboard prior to halftime by slipping in a shot with 26 seconds left in the second quarter for a three-all deadlock at the break.
- Virginia regained the lead with 4:31 left in the third quarter as Yahn buried another opportunity, but Kittell countered at 3:38 to retie the game at four-all.
- A 3-0 run by Virginia fueled by a pair of goals from Palmer at 3:01 (penalty shot) and 1:13 (even-strength) to surround a strike by Michael Vaden (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif.) proved to be the difference in the game as the Cavaliers jumped out to a 7-4 lead.
- Eckholt chipped a marker off Oregon State’s deficit prior to the close of the third quarter by swishing a shot with 12 ticks on the clock to inch the Beavers within 7-5.
- Virginia padded its lead in the dawning moments of the fourth quarter as Sweeney (4:00) and Palmer (2:51) widened the chasm between the programs to 9-5.
- In the final minute, Max Taylor cashed in on a man-up bid with 44 seconds to close the gap to 9-6.
- Both teams exchanged strikes in the final 20 seconds as Vaden (15 seconds) and Eckholt (three seconds) found the back of the netting for the 10-7 final score.
- For Virginia, Palmer (three), Sweeney (two), Vaden (two) and Yahn (two) posted multi-goal games with Liu chipping in a solo marker.
- Virginia, which made its first appearance at the National Collegiate Club Championship since 2003, previously tied for 15th place in the program’s only prior appearance at the event in 2003.
- Kittell and Eckholt led the Beavers with hat-tricks with Taylor tacking on a single score for Oregon State.
- Oregon State previously placed Seventh (2003), 12th (2014) and 13th (2012, 2015, 2018, 2019) at the National Collegiate Club Championship.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Oregon State University |
1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | 7 |
| University of Virginia | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | – | 10 |
| Virginia Goals: | Willem Palmer (3); Tyler Sweeney (2); Michael Vaden (2); Zach Yahn (2); Andrew Liu | |||||
| Oregon State Goals: | Ian Kittell (3); Wyatt Eckholt (3); Max Taylor | |||||
| Exclusions: | Virginia – 4 ; Oregon State – 3 |
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| Advantage Opportunities: | Virginia – 2-for-3 ; Oregon State – 1-for-4 |
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| Sprints: | Virginia – 1-for-4 (1st) ; Oregon State – 3-for-4 (2nd, 3rd, 4th) |
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| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Steve Sargalski; Val Rarau | |||||
Oregon State University’s Ian Kittell (#13) defends versus the University of Virginia’s CJ Owen (#3)
The University of Virginia’s Tyler Sweeney (#9) blocks a shot attempt by Oregon State University’s Terran Walker (#10)
Oregon State University’s Wyatt Eckholt (#11)
