The heavy downpour Wednesday evening set the scene for the Mens'
Water Polo Team (9-8, 1-1 SCIAC) when they entered Occidental
College's Taylor Pool. The Stags came in ready to take on the
Tigers of Eagle Rock (5-15, 1-1 SCIAC), who, just four days
earlier, upset #4 ranked Whittier College. However, Oxy proved to
be no match for CMS, as the Stags dominated the entire game,
finishing with a score of 19-9 in a crucial SCIAC matchup.
CMS came out strong, starting with Vincent
Schiavoni (JR, Malvern, PA) winning the opening sprint.
Attacking the shallow end first, the Stags were unsure how to
manage their offense in a new, unchartered territory. However, they
were able to defeat Oxy at their own game. Late in the shot clock
of the first possession, Brian
Baier (SO, Orinda) [pictured] elevated up with the ball and
rattled the aluminum side bar, knocking in the first goal of his
flawless hat-trick in the opening period.
From then on, the Stags never looked back, as they went up on
the home team 4-1 before forcing the Occidental head coach to call
a desperation time out. The Stags, however, outsmarted Oxy's newly
devised game plan throughout the rest of the game and continued
their strong scoring streak until the final buzzer.
Baier went on to score three more for a game-high total of six
goals, while seven other Stags contributed to the well-rounded
offense. Brian
Chong (JR, Mercer Island, WA) had four, Schiavoni scored three,
Andrew
Cosentino (SR, Greenwich, CT) punched in two, and Ari Wes (JR,
Mercer Island WA), Greg Mann
(SO, Hillsborough), John
Holland (FR, Orinda) and Huston
Middlesworth (SO, Bellevue, WA) all got on the board with one
apiece. Middlesworth led the team with four assists, while goalie
Sean Wasserman (SR, Los Gatos) had ten saves.
The Stags return home to Axelrood Pool at 10:00 am Saturday,
October 23, as they take on defending Division III Champions
Whittier College (10-11, 1-1 SCIAC) in another important conference
battle.
