Box Score
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – With a logjam in the middle of the Western Water Polo Association standings, a win was crucial for both California Baptist University and Air Force when the rivals clashed Friday afternoon.
It appeared CBU had the shot it needed twice in the final minute of the fourth quarter, but the 15th-ranked Falcons just escaped with an 8-7 victory. It was the third game decided by one goal at CBU this year, with the Lancers playing a total of seven such games this year. The loss dropped them to 13-15 and 1-4 in conference. Air Force moved to 13-14 and 3-2 this season to remain in second place in the conference standings.
Things were tight in the first period, with both teams playing to a 1-1 tie. David Ring opened the game with a goal about 2:30 into the contest, but Air Force rattled off the next two. Brent Teraoka tied things with a goal 21 seconds before the first quarter came to a close.
Davor Koret scored near the 2:30 mark in the second quarter for CBU before both defenses locked down. Nick Candau broke more than three-and-a-half minutes of scoreless play with 2:02 left in the half to give CBU a 4-2 edge. The score developed on a man advantage, with Candau one-timing a beautiful pass from Cody Wetherbee.
Air Force came back to take another lead, 6-5, with 2:26 left in the third quarter. Candau evened things at 6-6 with 2:02 to go in the third. There were a total of six ties and three lead changes over the 32 minutes, as both teams entered the fourth quarter still even at 6-6. Just like the previous 24 minutes, defense dominated the start of the fourth quarter. Jantz Johnson scored first in the frame, more than four minutes in, as the Falcons took a 7-6 lead.
Twenty-eight seconds later, Wetherbee scored to knot things at 7-7 with 3:16 left to play. A Robby Stiefel goal wound up capping the scoring for the Falcons with 2:51 remaining, but the Lancers had two good shots at another tie.
It appeared Spencer Shore notched another equalizer for CBU, which is receiving votes in the top-20 polls, with less than a minute remaining when he knocked the ball away from Air Force right in front of the Falcons' goal and punched it into the cage. The crowd erupted as one referee ruled it a goal, but the officials conferred and ruled Air Force had called timeout before the goal was scored, leaving the visitors up 8-7.
Looking to drain clock, the Falcons instead committed a turnover on their next possession, as Teraoka forced a steal in the middle of the pool with 31 seconds to go. The Lancers called timeout, which led to a six-on-five opportunity with 19 seconds left. With the clock running down, Teraoka fired a skip shot that bounced just wide of the cage before the buzzer sounded.
Despite the loss, Joseph Moorman was brilliant in goal for CBU once again with 17 saves in the loss, including 10 in the second half and seven in the third quarter. Teraoka and Candau each had two goals in the low-scoring affair.
CBU continues WWPA play Saturday with a trip to No. 16 Loyola Marymount at noon and then a nonconference trek to 20th-ranked Whittier at 7 p.m.
