CLAREMONT, Calif. -
Nick Kennedy had four goals and two assists, and
Luke (Bear) Weigle added three goals as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's water polo team was able to hold off Augustana and take a 12-7 win in the semifinals of the USA Water Polo Division III National Championships on Saturday at Axelrood Pool.
With the win, CMS moves on to the national championship game tomorrow at 12 p.m. against Pomona-Pitzer, which defeated MIT 11-7 in the second semifinal. Augustana and MIT will meet in the third-place game at 10 a.m.
The win was hard-fought as the Vikings for the upper hand early with a 4-2 lead with 1:32 left in the first quarter, but Kennedy was able to score his third goal of the first quarter with 33 seconds left and Weigle knotted the score up with 12 seconds left in the frame.
Weigle gave CMS the lead for good with the first goal of the second quarter, and
Thomas Walker made it 7-4 with back-to-back goals, before Augustana beat the halftime buzzer with a goal to make it 7-5 heading into intermission.
The Stags were able to get separation in the second half by outscoring Augustana 3-0 in the third quarter on goals from Kennedy,
Gavin Netherton and
Christopher Petrossian. Weigle made it a 4-0 run with the first goal of the fourth, capping off his hat trick, and making the score 11-5. The Vikings scored the next two goals, before
Calvin Donat finished off the scoring for CMS.
Jake Taylor had eight saves and three steals to get the win in goal for CMS. Walker had four steals, while
Donovan Davidson and
Asher Engelberg each had two.
Kennedy now has 94 goals this season, giving him a chance to reach 100 if he has a big day in the finals. Walker also went over 100 points for the season with 70 goals and 31 assists, while Weigle has 196 goals in his career, leaving him four shy of 200.
CMS will face Pomona-Pitzer for the third time this season, with the Sagehens winning the first meeting in overtime in the regular season 10-9, and the Stags winning the rematch in the SCIAC finals 13-11.
Visit the home page below for all of the details and information from the USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate National Championship.
USA Water Polo Tournament Home Page
