MENU
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Sam Sikkema (Sr., Rockford, Mich.) scored four times to lead the way as Big Ten Division Champion/No. 9-ranked Michigan State University topped Florida Division Champion/No. 8 the University of Florida, 13-11, at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool in the 2019 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Fifth Place game.

  • Michigan State – which previously claimed First (2000, 2006, 2008), Second (2005, 2007), Third (2010), Fourth (2009) and 10th (2014) in the program’s prior trips to the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship – notches the team’s eighth Top Five mark by taking home Fifth Place.
  • The Spartans fell behind 42 seconds into the game as Florida’s Rico Martinez (Boca Raton, Fla.) cracked the pair of goose-eggs by connecting on a shot with 6:18 left in the opening frame.  MSU answered at 2:58 as Paul Sikkema (So., Rockford, Mich.) sliced in an equalizer to square the squads at one-all through seven minutes of action.
  • Michigan State pulled ahead 17 seconds into the second quarter as Ben Daugherty (Jr., Dexter, Mich.) torqued in a tally with 6:43 on the clock.  The Gators’ Parker Strickman (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) brought balance to the score at 6:07 by putting away a man-up opportunity, but MSU’s offense awoke to begin putting the contest out of reach.
  • Derek Zahnleuter (So., Rockford, Mich.) and Ewan Woolcock (So., Okemos, Mich.) responded by banging home power-play chances at 5:48 and 3:24, respectively, before Sam Sikkema swished penalty shots at 2:55 and 1:45 to make it 7-2.  The scoring run came to a close with 45 seconds until halftime as Joe Pettinger (Jr., Naperville, Ill.) drilled in yet another man-up opportunity to push MSU out to a commanding 8-2 margin.
  • Lucas Weaver (Oviedo, Fla.) put Florida on the board with 28 seconds left, but Sikkema buried his third penalty shot of the second quarter with 15 ticks on the clock to return the spread to six at 9-3 heading into halftime.
  • Following intermission, Weaver struck again by converting an advantage bid at 6:32 to move the Gators back within five at 9-4.
  • However, Reilly McDonnell (Sr., Naperville, Ill.) put away a penalty shot (5:58) and Matt Bergoldt (Sr., Dexter, Mich.) rifled in an even-strength chance (3:41) to inflate MSU’s lead to seven at 11-4.
  • Florida closed out the third quarter with a pair of salvos as Strickman lined in a penalty shot (2:07) prior to swishing a natural goal (1:44) to shrink the Gators’ deficit down to five at 11-6 heading into the final seven minutes of regulation.
  • Daugherty connected on what would prove to be a critical goal for the Spartans as he raised the curtain on the fourth quarter with a strike at the 6:48 mark to widen his team’s lead to 12-6.
  • The lead would hold up – barely – over the remainder of the fourth quarter as Clancy Short (Goshen, Ind.) (6:19, man-up), Murphey Morgan (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) (5:43, man-up), Wynn Furey (Winter Park, Fla.) (4:10, even-strength) and Strickman (2:34, even-strength) accounted for a 4-0 outburst by Florida as the team moved to within a pair at 12-10 with two and a half minutes left in regulation.
  • Leading by two with a resurgent Gators’ squad threatening overtime – or worse – it was Paul Sikkema who was the hero of the day as the sophomore stuffed in a response at 2:17 to stifle Florida’s momentum and set the scoreboard at 13-11.
  • The Michigan State defense did the rest as the Spartans limited their opposition to a man-up marker by John Nieves (Miami, Fla.) at 1:08 and nothing more in holding on for a 13-11 win.
  • For Florida, Strickman scored four times with Weaver chipping in a pair.  Morgan, Short, Martinez, Furey and Nieves all accounted for single scores.  Goalie Corby Bertolett (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) took the loss with eight saves.
  • In the history of the program, the Gators have recorded Eighth (2000), Third (2001), 11th (2002), Ninth (2003), Fourth (2008), 13th (2009), Third (2011), 12th (2017), 10th (2018) and Sixth (2019) place marks in succession to make the Top 10 of the championship field seven times
  • On the other end of the tank, Sam (four) and Paul (two) Sikkema combined for six goals.  Daugherty deposited a pair with Zahnleuter, Woolcock, Pettinger, McDonnell and Bergdolt each finding the back of the cage once.  Ethan Springer (Fr., Hudsonville, Mich.) earned the victory between the pipes with eight saves.
1st Q 2nd Q 3rd Q 4th Q FINAL
No. 8 University of Florida 1 2 3 5 11
No. 9 Michigan State University 1 8 2 2 13
Michigan State Goals: Sam Sikkema (4); Paul Sikkema (2); Brad Daugherty (2); Derek Zahnleuter; Ewan Woolcock; Jon Pettinger; Reilly McDonnell; Matt Bergdolt
Florida Goals: Parker Strickman (4); Lucas Weaver (2); Murphey Morgan; Clancy Short; Rico Martinez; Wynn Furey; John Nieves
Saves: Michigan State – Ethan Springer (8) ; Florida – Corby Bertolett (8)
Exclusions: Michigan State – 11 ; Florida – 9
Advantage Opportunities: Michigan State – 7-for-9  ; Florida – 6-for-11
Sprints: Michigan State – 3-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 4th)  ; Florida – 1-for-4 (3rd)
Cards/Misconducts: Florida – YC (Head coach David Huelsman, 5:59 left in 3rd Q)
Officials: Steve Sargalski; Greg Sanchez

Michigan State University’s Reilly McDonnell (#8) attempts to lob a pass over the University of Florida’s Luke MacDonald (#6)

The University of Florida’s Clancy Short (#18) attempts to devise a way around Michigan State University defender Dan Macina (#17)

Michigan State University’s Reilly McDonnell (#8) tries to take away the ball from the University of Florida’s James Rivera (#3)

Collegiate Water Polo Association