VALLEJO, Calif. - Devin Verma scored half of the Bobcats season-high 18 goals to lead the University of California, Merced men's water polo team to an 18-7 win over Cal State Monterey Bay's club team in the Sierra Pacific Division Championship seventh place game on Sunday morning at Cal Maritime's PEAC pool. The Bobcats (2-10) win was their second of the season.

Verma's nine goals marked a season-high, one upping his previous high of eight goals that he originally set in the Bobcats inaugural win on October 9.

Cheyenne Bennmarie and Adrian Martinez each scored two goals in the Bobcats biggest win of the season. Bennmarie, who notched his first career multi-goal game, found the back of the net in all three games of the tournament. 

Fernando Campos Chavez, Andrew DeMello and Nic Puckett scored their first career goal in the victory. Kai Etz and Andrew Ore also found the back of the net.

Bennmarie got the Bobcats on the board first and head coach Johnny Bega's squad never looked back in a wire-to-wire win. Verma's first quarter hat-trick had UC Merced on top 5-1 after the first eight minutes, and a dominant second quarter highlighted by a Puckett halftime buzzer beater saw the Bobcats hold an 11-2 lead at intermission. 

Verma scored two quick goals out the break to give the Bobcats their largest lead of the morning at 13-2. UC Merced led by at least eight goals the rest of the way and built their lead back to eleven with Campos Chavez's first career goal in the final minute.

Puckett earned the start in goal for the Bobcats and finished with eight saves, while Ethan Chou stopped seven shots in second half action.

The Bobcats eleven-goal scoring margin was their largest in a win this season and the seven goals allowed marked the Bobcats top defensive effort of the inaugural campaign.

Looking ahead, the Bobcats will compete in the 2022 NAIA Water Polo Finals hosted by OUAZ November 3-5 in Goodyear, Ariz. First game is TBA.