jack-stevens-uci-mwp-2024-whittier
Raymond Tran
11
Whittier WHIT (15-10)
27
Winner UC Irvine UCI (18-7)
Whittier WHIT
(15-10)
11
Final
27
UC Irvine UCI
(18-7)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Whittier WHIT 1 5 2 3 11
UC Irvine UCI 6 9 5 7 27

Game Recap: Men's Water Polo | | Alex Roberts-Croteau

Anteater Attack Leads No. 8 UCI to 27-11 Win

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine men's water polo team won their ninth straight contest as they toppled Whittier 27-11 Saturday evening.

The Anteaters were one goal away from tying the school record 28 that was reached twice, the last since the 28-8 triumph of Fresno Pacific on Sept. 3, 2011. It is just the second time UCI has recorded exactly 27 goals in a match with the only other contest happening on Nov. 11, 1970 in the 27-3 thrashing of Redlands.

Additionally, UC Irvine won their ninth straight contest, a first for the program since the nine game run that happened Sept. 7-21 2013.

Samuel Otta contributed five goals on the evening, just one shy of tying his career best.

Inside The Numbers Scoring Breakdown
  • First Quarter: Both sides were turned away on their first shot before the 'Eaters opened the scoring at 6:43 from Luka Krstic. He was followed by Jack Stevens (5:52), Ethan Shipman (5:17), and Thomas Cass (4:25) before Johann Thrall's penalty shot hit the crossbar and Whittier came down and got on the board at 3:18. Ethan Spoon got the 'Eaters back on the board at 2:57 and followed by Alex Lopez (2:03) to finish the scoring for the quarter ahead, 6-1
    • Krstic (1), Stevens (1), Shipman (1), Cass (1), Spoon (1), Lopez (1)
  • Second Quarter: First goal came from Krstic converting a penalty at 7:29. Cass scored from down low at 6:41 to make it 8-1 before a 2-meter strike from the Poets at 6:16. Tyler Padua got on the scoresheet from 2-meter, and the Poets responded with a penalty goal at 5:42. Thrall hit the back of the net at 5:17 and again on the counter at 4:55. He drew a penalty at 4:03 that was finished off from 5-meter by Samuel Otta. Whittier put home a bar down goal at 3:29. Spoon fired another shot that was rebounded to Tyler Laymon to shove it home at 2:58 on the power play. Whittier got another back at 2:39 and again at 1:13 to make it a 13-6 UCI lead. Otta buried his second of the quarter with 48 seconds left, and with one second on the clock, Jasper Dale got one to go for UC Irvine's ninth goal
    • Otta (2), Thrall (2), Krstic (1), Cass (1), Dale (1), Laymon (1), Spoon (1)
  • Third Quarter: 'Eaters drew a 5-meter penalty at 6:43 that was denied. The defense held and came back down on the counter as Stevens fed Cass at 5:48. UCI came back down on a 3-on-1 that was denied by Whittier's keeper. Whittier and UCI traded barbs before Stevens hammered a goal home at 1:27, and another for Shipman on the counter at 0:46, and a final tally with seven seconds left for Stevens' second of the period
    • Stevens (2), Cass (1), Spoon (1), Shipman (1)
  • Fourth Quarter: Samuel Otta pressured the goalie on a rebound to earn a 5-meter and buries it at 7:40. Thrall responded with a steal and drive to feed Dale on the doorstep at 7:17. Otta buried a second on the counter at 6:44, and at 5:52 Thrall again set up Dale to slam one home. Otta completed his hat trick on a breakout pass by Keegan McGann at 5:10. Whittier converted a power play goal at 4:37 to break a string of eight straight Anteater goals. UCI got back on the board at 4:28 with a McGann 5-meter penalty goal. Whittier got their own 5-meter and converted at 3:33, and got a second straight at 1:22. Maddox McEwen roofed a shot to finish the scoring at 0:19 for a 27-11 win
    • Otta (3), Dale (2), McGann (1), McEwen (1)
Up Next
No. 8/8 UC Irvine finishes the regular season with a non-conference matchup in Anteater Aquatics Complex against Long Beach State, Friday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Print Friendly Version