FRESNO, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's water polo team earned their first ever win over a four-year varsity program on Saturday as part of a doubleheader at Sunnyside Aquatics Center, beating Fresno Pacific University 14-11 before falling to 16th-ranked Santa Clara University 22-7.
The Bobcats (5-3) entered the day having beaten four junior colleges to start the year. On Saturday morning, head coach Johnny Bega's squad outscored NCAA Division II opponent Fresno Pacific 8-5 in the second half to make history.
Camden Peterson tied his season-high with five goals in the win, including four in the first half. Killian Nguyen registered his fourth hat trick, while William Pezold and James Soto scored two goals each. Pezold extended his goal scoring streak to seven consecutive matches. Tommy Bauer and Howie Zeff also scored for the Bobcats.
Matthew Lloyd made a career-high 20 saves between the cages to lead the defensive efforts.
The Bobcats jumped on Fresno Pacific from the start, scoring three goals within the first three and a half minutes to grab a 3-1 lead. The two teams were tied 3-3 after eight minutes of action and 6-6 at halftime. Fresno Pacific grabbed their only lead of the match at 6-5 before Pezold netted an equalizer before intermission.
Pezold also scored right out of the break and the Bobcats led the rest of the way. A Soto goal with two minutes left in the quarter extended the Bobcats lead to 10-7, tying what would be the Bobcats largest lead of the morning.
The Bobcats led 13-10 with three minutes remaining in regulation. Fresno Pacific pulled within two goals, but Soto netted a huge insurance goal with 1:20 to play to help the Bobcats finish off the victory.
After approximately 90 minutes out of the pool, the Bobcats jumped back in the water for their first ever match against a NCAA Division I opponent in 16th-ranked Santa Clara University.
Despite the 22-7 loss, Pezold extended his goal scoring streak to eight matches with a pair of scores. Nguyen and Andrew Jones matched Pezold with two goals each. Bauer netted one goal.
UC Merced fell behind 8-0 before scoring their first goal. The Bobcats scored back-to-back after their first goal, but were unable to score unanswered goals the rest of the way. UC Merced was able to score in all four quarters with a team-high three goals in the second frame.
UC Merced will continue its season on Friday, September 8 when it hosts Merced College at the Aquatic Center. Opening sprint is scheduled for 4:00pm.
