Coming off a home win on Friday afternoon, the Concordia University Irvine men's water polo team took to the pool again on Saturday, traveling to Riverside to take on two formidable opponents. Coming into weekend play, the Eagles' record stood at just 4-8, but don't be fooled by wins and losses alone. CUI has played one of the toughest schedules in America and it didn't get any easier on Saturday.
Game One: In the morning game, CUI took on no. 14 Cal Baptist. Though the Eagles were aggressive on offense, generating shots on goal, they couldn't find the back of the net early.
In the first quarter, CBU outscored CUI 4-0. In the second period, the Eagles finally got their offense going and notched four goals. The first tally came from Eagles redshirt junior
Austin Barton with 6:30 remaining in the half.
Daniel Castagnola added a goal himself and
Messan Moore scored twice before intermission.
The Lancers extended their lead, however, scoring five goals in the second quarter to take a 9-4 halftime lead. CUI finished the first half with 16 shots compared to 14 for CBU.
In the third quarter, the Eagles were unable to cut into the Lancers' lead. Though Moore and
Nick Walker each scored one more goal in that third quarter, the Lancers extended their lead to 14-6 at the end of three.
In the final quarter,
Christian Bowley scored his first goal of the day with 5:26 remaining and Barton and Moore each added another goal, but it was not enough. Final score: CBU 18 CUI 9.
Game Two: The second game of the day was an even tougher test for the Eagles. Less than three weeks ago, the Eagles took on the University of Southern California and fell 23-5. On Saturday, the two teams met again, and now the Trojans came in as the no. 1 ranked team in the nation.
The first half was all Trojans. After CUI was held scoreless in the first period,
Marius Jakimcikas finally broke the Eagles' scoring drought in the second quarter, but at halftime, the score was 11-1 USC.
In the second half, the Eagles played much better, but the Trojans were just too strong. Moore continued his fine play with two goals and Bowley and
Christian Manalo each scored one in the second half.
The Trojans kept scoring themselves, however, and when the final seconds ticked off, USC was the winner by the score of 18-5.
Eagle Eye: In two games, Moore finished with six goals. Barton and Walker each netted two goals.
What's Next: The Eagles return to the pool next Friday, October 5 at noon against the UC Davis Aggies at Northwood High School in Irvine.
