No. 6 University of Colorado Trips University of Pennsylvania, 9-8, in 2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Seventh Place Game

University of Pennsylvania-vs.-University of Colorado Scoresheet (2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship – 7th Place)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Reid Schioldager (Jr., Orinda, Calif.) posted a hat-trick by tallying goals in the first, second and third quarters as Rocky Mountain Division Champion/No. 6-ranked the University of Colorado edged out Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Champion the University of Pennsylvania, 9-8, in the 2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Seventh Place game.

Competing at the Huntsville Aquatics Center, the Buffaloes add to a legacy of success with their Seventh Place mark as the team previously placed Second (1997), Seventh (2001, 2014), Eighth (2010), Ninth (2015, 2016) and 12th (2008) in seven prior trips to the National Collegiate Club Championship.

Penn, which finished Seventh (2007), 10th (2008, 2010) and Fifth (2013) in the program’s four most recent National Collegiate Club Championship appearances, add an Eighth Place mark to the string.

• Colorado trailed only once in the game as Finn Maniscalco put away a scoring chance with 2:32 left in the first quarter to stake the Quakers to a 1-0 lead.
• The Buffaloes stampeded back into the game and acquired the lead as Schioldager buried a five-meter penalty shot (1:43) prior to Patrick Tippens (Sr., HIghland Park, Ill.) swishing a man-up bid (53 seconds) to give Colorado a 2-1 lead after seven minutes of action.
• Colorado’s lead grew to 4-1 by the 5:27 mark of the second quarter as Louis House (Sr., Carmel Valley, Calif.) converted on a five-meter penalty shot (6:15) before Breno Goldenberg Araujo (Jr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) swished an even-strength opportunity at 5:27 to make it 4-1.
• William English cut into the lead at 4:00 before Schioldager responded at 2:36 to make it 5-2.  The teams traded goals one more time before the conclusion of the first half as Penn’s Davis Lenning (1:51) and Colorado’s Benjamin Budic (So., San Diego, Calif.) (22 seconds, man-up) tickled the twine to establish a 6-3 Buffaloes’ margin at the break.
• Penn closed its deficit down to one in the opening moments of the third quarter as Sean Riksen (5:31) and Hayaat Key-Ramos (5:23) found the back of the cage to move the Quakers within 6-5.
• Luka Visnjic (Sr., Boulder, Colo.) gave Colorado some breathing room at 2:52 with a strike, but Declan Harrison responded at 2:01 to once again inch Penn within one at 7-6. 
• Schioldager (1:40) and Budic (1:16, penalty shot) inflated the lead to three goals with back-to-back markers to provide Colorado a 9-6 margin with time winding down in the third quarter.
• Penn attempted to climb back into the contest in the closing minute of the third quarter and the entirety of the fourth quarter.
• Harrison lined in a shot with 11 ticks on the third quarter clock to make it 9-7 before firing in a frozen rope on a penalty shot chance at the 6:24 mark of the fourth quarter to make it 9-8.
• Penn was unable to pull any closer as the Colorado defense stiffened to allow the Buffaloes to escape with a 9-8 victory.
• For Colorado, Schioldager (three) and Budic (two) netted multi-goal games, while Araujo, Visnjic, Tippens and House hurling in solo markers.
• Harrison led Penn with a hat-trick (three goals) with English, Maniscalco, Davis Riksen and Kay-Ramos contributing single goals.

University of Pennsylvania’s James Watson (#6) eyes an opening as the University of Colorado’s Lenning Davis (#12)

University of Colorado’s Reid Schioldager (#9) attempts to drive through the University of Pennsylvania’s Hayaat Kay-Ramos (#8)

University of Pennsylvania’s Sean Riksen (#18) defends University of Colorado’s Luka Visnjic (#2)