CLAREMONT, Calif. — The McKendree University men’s water polo team opened up the 2022 Gary Troyer Tournament with setbacks against Biola University, 19-11, and Westcliff University, 18-10, at the Axelrood Aquatics Center on the campus of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.
Facing Biola, the Bearcats were outscored 5-1 in the third quarter as the Eagles increased their 10-6 halftime lead to 15-7 heading into the final eight minutes. Both teams scored four goals in the final frame as Biola claimed a four-score victory.
Fifth-year senior attacker Nico Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia/Ovideo) paced the Bearcats with three goals and two assists for a total of five points. In addition to Rodriguez, sophomore attacker Jespyn Bishop (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) and fifth-year senior attack Tony Sunagawa (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) each had two goals for the Bearcats.
Biola jumped in front 2-0 in the opening 90 seconds of the game, before back-to-back goals from junior Breno Tebet (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Golden West College) and Rodriguez tied things up with 5:28 left in the opening period.
The Eagles tallied back-to-back strikes to take a 4-2 lead, but the Bearcats came right back and used two goals from Sunagawa to tie the game at four-all with three minutes to go in the first quarter.
Biola netted five of the next six goals over a span of nearly six minutes to take a 9-5 lead with 4:10 left in the second quarter.
A goal from junior center defender Adam Serrano (Riverside, Calif./Poly) with 1:32 left brought the Bearcats within 9-6, but Nolan Rapp responded with a minute left to provide Biola a 10-6 halftime lead.
The Eagles opened the third quarter by scoring four straight goal to push its lead to 14-6. Bishop, though, stopped the Eagles’ run with a goal at the 1:47 mark to pull McKendree within 14-7. Biola capped the period with a goal from Maxwell Osborn to lead 15-7 after 24 minutes of play.
In the fourth quarter, the Bearcats received goals from Rodriguez, Bishop, freshman center/utility player Cale Koester (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) and graduate student attacker Josh Carlson (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West).
Carlson, freshman Zach Callejas (Miami, Fla./Belan Jesuit Prep) and Sunagawa each had two exclusions in the game as the Bearcats recorded a total of 11 in the game. Biola finished with 12 exclusions.
For the game, McKendree was outshot, 31-26, as Rodriguez led the way with seven shots, while Bishop, Sunagawa and Tebet each took four shot in the game.
Junior Jimmy Cronin (Naperville, Ill./Metea Valley) played all 32 minutes in goal for the Bearcats and collected eight saves and had a team-best three steals.
Biola was paced offensively by five goals from Osborn, while Rapp added three goals and two assists in the win.
Mitchell Carpenter played all 32 minutes in goal for Eagles and made 11 saves.
In the Bearcats’ final game of the day, McKendree was unable to overcome an eight goal second quarter from Westcliff University.
The team was paced offensively by two goals each from Carlson, Sunagawa and Trebet.
McKendree jumped in front 2-0 thanks to goals from two consecutive goals from Tebet in the opening 89 seconds of the game.
The Bearcats’ lead grew to 3-1 thanks to a goal by Rogriguez with 5:16 left in the first quarter, but the Warriors responded with two straight goals to tie the game at three-all. Sunagawa’s first goal of the game in the final 90 seconds of the first period gave the Bearcats a 4-3 lead after the opening frame.
Westcliff, though, scored eight of the 11 goals in the second quarter to take an 11-7 lead by halftime. McKendree’s three goals in quarter were scored by Carlson, Koester and freshman attacker Justice Lamboy (Santee, Calif./West Hills).
The Warriors scored the first two goals of the third quarter to push their lead to 13-7 just 69 seconds into the second half.
McKendree delivered answers by Serrano and Carlson to move within 14-9 heading into the fourth quarter.
However, Westcliff accounte for four of the final five goals in the contest to seal an eight-score win. McKendree’s lone goal in the closing minutes of the game came from Sunagawa who buried a shot with 19 ticks left on the clock.
McKendree held a 35-33 edge in shots and a 15-13 advantage in exclusions in the game.
Koester, Carlson, Sunagawa, Tebet and Rodriguez combined for 21 of McKendree’s 35 shots as Koester took five and the other three Bearcats took four shots each.
Cronin played all 32 minutes in goal for the Bearcats and recorded seven saves and a steal.
Westcliff got eight goals from Giljan Alfano and another four goals and three assists from Mateja Bosic.
Roberto Barrera earned the win in cage with 12 saves.
Information courtesy McKendree University Athletics Communications
