California Baptist University
Chapman
LUCKY OL' 13
9/11/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
REDLANDS, Calif. --- Who says 13 is an unlucky number?
California Baptist is one squad that would never admit to such a superstition, particularly after the No. 19-ranked Lancers scored 13 goals in 3 out of 4 wins at this weekend's Inland Empire Classic and came just one goal away from posting a baker's dozen in the tournament's final win.
After finding the net 10 times in the season-opening Triton Tournament last weekend, Ryan Steiger posted 14 goals to lead the team. The Lancers' 6-2 start is its best since starting the 2002 season, where California Baptist started the year with an 8-2 clip en route to finishing with 24 wins?the last time the Lancers won 20 games in a season.
Steiger has now scored 24 goals in just 8 games, eclipsing his career total in the process. His 3 goals in both contests aided the Lancers to wins over Pomona-Pitzer and Chapman on Saturday by scores of 13-11 and 13-4, respectively, and he scored 4 times each in victories against Claremont Mudd-Scripps (13-8) and Cal Lutheran (12-7) in Sunday's action.
Fourth-quarter goals by Steiger and Andrew Thacker helped California Baptist survive a 3-goal onslaught in the last minutes of the win over Pomona-Pitzer, as Jason Bills, David Graves, and Josh Harris each scored a pair of goals. Jon Miller started a busy weekend with 14 saves in the opening contest.
The Lancers used Steiger's trio of goals, along with 2 goals apiece by Harris and Alan Ogden to drill Chapman by a score of 13-4 to end the first day. Brett Landfield dished out 3 assists and Miller hauled down 7 saves and gave out a pair of assists in the win.
Miller came up with 6 saves in a 13-8 win over Claremont Mudd-Scripps to open action on Sunday, as Steiger nailed down 4 goals and Aaron Abellano notched a hat trick in the win. The Lancers survived 11 of 12 power-play situations and coverted on 3 of their 8 advantages.
The team improved its efficiency in a weekend-closing matchup with Cal Lutheran, finding the net on half of its four 6-on-5 opportunites. Steiger scored 4 goals in the win, as Miller capped off the tournament with 10 saves.
