The Sports Update: Water Polo Surges To Top

October 30, 2008

The Men’s Water Polo team had their first full week of SCIAC play last week. After opening the conference season by beating La Verne over Fall Break, the men racked up three wins. Last Wednesday, the Stags defeated Caltech 22-5. Next up, the men took down Whittier’s Poets 11-8 at home. The guys capped off a great week with a 8-7 triple OT win at Chapman. The Stags are 3-0 in conference play, leading the pack going into a week that features a showdown at Pomona-Pitzer on October 29th. The aquamen are led by 33 goal-scorer Andrew Cosentino (CMC SO) and net-minder Sean Wasserman (CMC SO). Heading into the season’s final games, the Men’s Soccer team sits precariously on edge – looking to garner a conference tournament seed and try and make a run for the NCAA Tournament. Last Wednesday, the Stags hosted La Verne’s Leopards. The Leos proved too much for the Stags, shutting them out 3-0. The men rebounded with a shutout of their own against Cal Lu in Thousand Oaks, winning 2-0, with first-half goals by Stefan Gonzalez (CMC JR) and freshman Chris Lowen. Heading into the final weekend, the Stags play at Occidental and host Redlands Saturday.

The Women’s Soccer team was leading the conference not three weeks ago. After climbing to the top, the Athenas faltered a bit, dropping a game at Pomona over Fall Break. This past week, the girls continued to struggle. At La Verne last Wednesday, the Athenas dropped a tough 2-1 decision in double OT. The Leos moved up 1-0 in the first half, before Laura Hagen (CMC SO) netted a goal off a pass from Ashley Green (CMC SR). The girls then hosted Cal Lu on Saturday and lost 1-0. The Athenas have time to right the ship with a home game versus Occidental and then a regular season finale at Redlands Saturday.

Stags Football dropped their second straight SCIAC game at Redlands on the Bulldogs homecoming night this past Saturday. There were few highlights for the men, as they fell behind 27-0 at the half and allowed the Bulldogs to tack on some more points in the second. Senior linebacker Ashton Clarke (CMC) led all players with 11 tackles. The Stags look to get back in the win column with a game on Zinda Field against Chapman.

The Athenas Volleyball team had an up-and-down week. It started off on a good note, with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Whittier. After defeating Pomona-Pitzer in the first installment of the 6th Street Rivalry, the ladies headed across the street and lost 3-0 to the Sagehens. The Athenas finished the week with a 3-2 loss at Cal Lu on Tuesday. The women have three SCIAC matchups left, hosting Redlands and La Verne and taking on Occidental.

The CMS Swim teams opened up their season with a meet against Division II UC San Diego. The Tritons have been in season for nearly two months, with the CMS teams not hitting the water until late September. UCSD, who finished 4th in DII last season, won the meet comfortably, defeating the men 75.5-223.5 and the women 90-202. The meet was not without some highlights for the Stags and Athenas however, who are the defending conference champions. Annie Perizzolo (CMC SO) won the 100 and 200 breaststroke in NCAA ‘B’ qualifying times, an effort that garnered her CollegeSwimming.com Athlete of the Week.