Triple-OT thriller, one-goal games highlight opening day of the 2022 season
VALLEJO, Calif. – Cal Maritime opened the 2022 men's water polo season in a familiar location as hosts of the two-day Keelhauler Classic. Throughout team's inaugural day of competition, it faced local competition in UC Davis and Cal at PEAC Pool in Vallejo — a pair of games that were ultimately decided by one goal apiece, including one that needed three overtime periods to decide a winner.
In the team's season opener against the Aggies, senior utility Aron Cameron led his team in scoring with four goals, but it was his shot in the waning moments of the fourth quarter that pulled the Keelhaulers even with UC Davis at 13, forcing overtime in the process since neither team scored during the final 70 seconds of regulation.
That score remained untouched through two overtime periods until UC Davis pulled ahead for good in triple OT by netting the game winner with 2:11 remaining.
Forcing overtime in the first place was an outstanding accomplishment for CSUM, a team that showcased its poise post-halftime after erasing a five-goal deficit throughout the third and fourth periods by keeping the Aggies off the board until it turned an 11-6 score into a tied game with 4:20 left to play in regulation.
Due to the Keelhauler Classic's schedule, CSUM quickly faced an oppotunity to bounce back from its season opener when it returned to acton to face Cal.
Even though it fell behind early when the Golden Bears scored three of the game's first four goals, Cal Maritime stormed back to take a 4-3 lead, with 1:25 remaining in the first half, until Cal notched its fourth goal 46 seconds before halftime.
Following a pair of lead changes in the third period, the Golden Bears led by two entering the fourth until Jake Douglas chopped his team's deficit by half by finding the back of the cage with 3:41 on the clock.
Even though Cal regained its two-goal cushion 1:12 later, Douglas struck again and pulled CSUM within one, at 9-8, with 106 seconds left in the game.
Cal Maritime made the most of those final moments by drawing an exclusion and playing one man up for the final 46 seconds of action, but could not net the equalizer as Cal held on to escape PEAC Pool with a one-goal win.
The Keelhaulers will now enter the Keelhauler Classic's second day of action on Sunday with a 0-2 record and face San José State at 10:10 a.m. and UC Merced, in the tournament's finale, at 12:30 p.m.
UC Davis 14, Cal Maritime 13 (3OT)
Cal Maritime Scoring
Aron Cameron 4, Ian Healy 3, Kevin Kraatz 3, Ian Diamond 1, Charles Jolly 1, Spencer Powley 1
UC Davis Scoring
Team roster was not provided
Cal 9, Cal Maritime 8
Cal Maritime Scoring
Jake Douglas 2, Kevin Kraatz 2, Damian Fischer 1, Ian Healy 1, Charles Jolly 1, Connor Wadhams 1,
Cal Scoring
#23 (name not provided) 3, Kai Mohl 2, Christopher Watlaw 2, Daniel Ardjmand 1, Jack Hughes 1