CBU Athletics

CBU Embraces WWPA Underdog Role Again

11/19/2015 10:15:00 AM

Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Last season, California Baptist University's underdog label inspired the Lancers to an upset victory and the program's best finish at the Western Water Polo Association Championships in their second season as a member.
 
Hopes are for similar results this time around, as CBU enters as the seventh seed and No. 19-ranked team in the NCAA with a rematch versus second-seed and No. 14 Loyola Marymount. The Lancers and Lions kick off the entire tournament, which is being hosted at the Air Force Academy's Cadet Natatorium, Friday at 12:30 p.m. Every game of the WWPA Tournament will be video streamed live on GoAirForceFalcons.com. 
 
For CBU, a first-round win would put it into a semifinal matchup with top-seed and No. 9 UC Davis Saturday at 12:15 p.m. A loss would put it up against the lowest-seeded team that lost on Friday. The tournament championship game, which will decide the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships, will be played Sunday at noon.
 
In need of an upset win, the Lancers are not in foreign waters. They sealed a fourth-place finish in the WWPA as the lowest seed of the tournament last year, upsetting 15^th-ranked and third-seeded Air Force, 15-12, in the first round.  
 
While Loyola Marymount may own an 8-1 advantage over the 15-year history of its series with the Lancers, CBU is knocking on the door for another win. The last four games between the two have been decided by an average of 1.75 goals, with the 2014 contest going into overtime.
 
Earlier this year, LMU outlasted a Lancer fourth-quarter rally for a 13-11 victory at the Lancer Aquatics Center. Loyola Marymount controlled the first 28 minutes, 16 seconds of the game by building a 12-7 lead. CBU dominated the final 3:44 of the game, closing it out on a 4-1 run to pull within two goals.
 
Friday will be an intriguing rematch between two recently-minted All-WWPA first-teamers – CBU goalkeeper Joseph Moorman and LMU's Milutin Mitrovic. Moorman leads the conference in saves with 349 and had 19, along with two steals, against the Lions. Nevertheless, Mitrovic guided his team to victory, with six goals in the win.
 
Offensively, the Lancers have relied on a balanced attack, fronted by Brent Teraoka, Tucker Angelo and David Ring. Teraoka has a team-high 61 goals and 43 assists for CBU, while Angelo follows with 56 goals and 32 drawn exclusions and Ring provides 45 goals and 29 drawn ejections.
 
Teraoka led CBU against LMU back in October, scoring five goals in the game and four in the final quarter. Angelo had two goals, along with junior two-meter Ryan Penney.