Keelhaulers wrap-up weekend tournament with a 3-1 record
VALLEJO, Calif. – Coming off a pair of wins during the inaugural day of action at the Keelhauler Classic, a two-day tournament that took place at PEAC Pool, Cal Maritime returned to the water on Sunday seeking a similar result.
That nearly came to fruition were it not for a thrilling ending to the first match of the day, that did not end Cal Maritime's way, when Cal scored two of the three goals in overtime to defeat the Keelhaulers, 12-11. However, men's water polo rebounded in the best possible way by dominating Chico State in the Classic's finale and earning a 9-5 victory.
By splitting their Sunday matches, the Keelhaulers will continue the season with a 3-1 record.
"I really liked how this team competed throughout the weekend, we have a lot of great pieces," said head coach Steve Doten. "This is a competitive team that fought hard all weekend long against four talented teams.
"I could not ask for a better learning experience," Doten added.
The Keelhaulers' afternoon started in exciting fashion when they faced the Golden Bears in a back-and-forth matchup that provided fans in attendance with a dramatic ending. Tied at nine with 4:09 left to play, the score remained untouched until Cal took the lead with 64 seconds on the clock. Cal Maritime responded by finding the back of the cage on the ensuing possession to even things at 10 apiece and force overtime.
After the Keelhaulers broke that tie with 1:58 left in OT, Cal scored twice within 29 seconds to turn that one-goal deficit into a 12-11 win.
Led by Ian Diamond with five, six different players scored for Cal Maritime against the Golden Bears.
In their final match of the weekend, the Keelhaulers provided the perfect response to that heartbreaking result by jumping out to an early 2-0 lead over Chico State, thanks to strikes from Diamond and Aron Cameron in the opening period.
On the opposite end of the pool, the Wildcats were visibly frustrated by a Cal Maritime defense that did not allow a goal until there was one minute and 30 seconds until halftime. However, by the time Chico State's bench stopped celebrating its first goal of the match, the Keelhaulers scored their final goal of the half, which gave them a 4-1 lead entering the break.
Chico State did battle back to pull within two late in the third period, but Cal Maritime scored three of the following four goals to double its lead to a more comfortable four-goal margin.
As was the case right before halftime, the Keelhaulers responded to Chico State's final goal with one of their own, and shut out the Wildcats throughout the final 2:30 of action to end the tournament with a win.
"Looking back on the weekend, our defense held UC Davis and Chico State to five goals apiece. The guys see our defensive potential, which is what we focused our time and efforts on throughout the last few weeks," said Doten.
Cal Maritime will have nearly three weeks to prep for its next tournament, hosted by UC Merced, which begins on Saturday, October 23 against UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz at 10:05 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively. Sunday's slate will start at 11:10 a.m. vs. Stanford and conclude at 2:30 p.m. against San Jose State.
Cal 12, Cal Maritime 11 (F/OT)
Cal Maritime 3 2 2 3 1 — 11
Cal 2 1 3 4 2 — 12
Cal Maritime Goals: Diamond 5, Iverson 2, Arnett 1, Cameron 1, Douglas 1, Wadhams 1
Cal Goals: Mohl 4, Hulsy 3, Borujerdpur 1, Edwards 1, Hughes 1, Lee 1, Moorehead 1
Cal Maritime 9, Chico State 8 (F)
Cal Maritime 2 2 2 3 — 9
Chico State 0 1 3 1 — 5
Cal Maritime Goals: Diamond 2, Iverson 2, Wadhams 2, Cameron 1, Douglas 1, Kolarov 1,
Chico State Goals: Alms 1, Hetrick 1, Jackson 1, Moss 1, Walsh 1