VALLEJO, Calif. - The University of California, Merced men's water polo team played in its inaugural tournament over the weekend at the Keelhauler Classic.
Devin Verma was a weekend standout and exploded for 16 goals, but the Bobcats (0-4) fell in all four games against stout Sierra Pacific Division competition.
October 1 | San Jose State club water polo 20, UC Merced 5
October 1 | Cal club water polo 18, UC Merced 2
October 2 | UC Davis club water polo 18, UC Merced 9
October 2 | Cal Maritime club water polo 18, UC Merced 5
Cal and Cal Maritime began the season as the fourth and tenth ranked teams in the Collegiate Water Polo Association, respectively.
Head coach Johnny Bega saw four different Bobcats score goals.
Verma, the Bobcats center who netted multiple goals in all four games and recorded 16 goals in total, etched his name in Bobcats history when he scored the teams first ever goal towards the end of the first quarter in the tournament opener against San Jose State. Verma would go on to hold match-high in the contest as he netted all five of the Bobcats goals.
Verma then scored two more goals against Cal, including his first goal just over five minutes into the game that accounted for the Bobcats first ever lead.
The Simi Valley, Calif., had a match-high six goals against UC Davis, four of which occurred in the first half. Kai Etz, Marc Martinez and Andrew Ore scored their first career goals in the same game.
Etz and Martinez also scored a goal in the tournament finale against Cal Maritime. Verma led the Bobcats with three goals against the host Keelhaulers.
Other highlights over the Keelhauler Classic include 12 steals from Verma, and eight steals and four assists from Etz.
Goalkeepers Nic Puckett and Ethan Chou finished with 15 and ten saves, respectively. The goalkeepers split the four matches over the weekend, with Chou taking the first game of each day.
UC Merced will await their next set of CWPA games. The Bobcats were originally slated to play four games at UC Santa Cruz October 15-16, but that has since been canceled and the Sierra Pacific Division is seeking the potential for alternative host sites and dates.
