Saturday, September 7
Providence, R.I.
10:45 AM
California Baptist University
10
vs
11
St. Francis
Lancers Show Resilience in Season Opener
9/7/2019 6:12:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – One day and two games into the season and it is clear California Baptist University has no quit.
The 16th-ranked Lancers launched one valiant comeback after another at Bruno Fall Classic hosted by Brown University to give themselves a shot at improbable victories in the last second of both games. Each was just off, as CBU dropped one-goal affairs to St. Francis (11-10) and No. 16 Bucknell (20-19).
"That's why we came out here, to get tested," Coach Kevin Rosa said. "That's exactly what we got, with two one-goal games where we managed to comeback and show some resilience. We flew out here to get good games, obviously we'd like to be on the other side of the result, but we know what we have to work on now."
Thirteen different players scored for the Lancers on Saturday, but PJ McDonough and Thomas de Wit both led the way with five goals each. The true freshman de Wit scored a hat trick in his collegiate debut versus St. Francis.
In fact, true freshmen combined to score nine of CBU's 30 goals on the day. Angel Sanchez scored twice on Bucknell, while Woody Gates and Joseph Griffin also scored in their first day of collegiate water polo.
"They all chipped in and knew their roles," Rosa said of his freshmen. "When they had the opportunity they took advantage."
It was senior Logan Mena who stood out most against the Bison. The center scored four times in the loss to tie his career high for the fifth time.
"That's what we expect our senior captain to do," Rosa said. "That's what he's going to do for us all year long, we expect that from him."
McDonough also scored a hat trick in the game, while de Wit, Joseph Galgani, Zach Lowery and Sanchez all scored twice, as well.
In the opener with Bucknell, CBU nearly overcame a four-goal deficit with seven-and-a-half minutes left in regulation, with a 3-0 run down the stretch, but their shot to force overtime in the final seconds was blocked. McDonough scored both of his goals in the final 3:36 to lead the comeback bid.
The Terriers benefitted from scoring three of their goals on penalty shots, including one in the first 18 seconds, without being called for any penalties themselves. CBU goalie Gabe Thorne finished with 13 saves, a steal and an assist. Kyle Christian posted two assists, two steals and a goal.
Defensively, CBU had success when able to set up its half-court defense, allowing just seven even-strength goals and holding St. Francis to one goal on six powerplay opportunities.
The Lancers trailed by as many as five in the shootout with the Bison. Bucknell held a 20-17 advantage with just about two minutes left in the fourth quarter before CBU started to turn on the pressure, as goals from McDonough and Galgani cut the deficit down to just one, 20-19, with 35 seconds to play.
Bucknell attempted to run out the clock, but the Lancers forced a turnover and called timeout with four seconds left to give themselves one last shot to tie the game. CBU's first shot was blocked, which led to a scrum with a Lancer punching the ball into the cage, but it came just after the buzzer sounded and the would-be-tying goal was waved off.
Riley Bumgardner finished with a team-high six points on five assists and a goal for CBU against the Bison. Those five assists are tied for the third most in a game in CBU single-season history. The Lancers start the year with an 0-2 record, while Bucknell and St. Francis are now both 2-0.
CBU will close out the Bruno Classic with games against Wagner and host Brown on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively. Both games are streamed live on ESPN+.
The 16th-ranked Lancers launched one valiant comeback after another at Bruno Fall Classic hosted by Brown University to give themselves a shot at improbable victories in the last second of both games. Each was just off, as CBU dropped one-goal affairs to St. Francis (11-10) and No. 16 Bucknell (20-19).
"That's why we came out here, to get tested," Coach Kevin Rosa said. "That's exactly what we got, with two one-goal games where we managed to comeback and show some resilience. We flew out here to get good games, obviously we'd like to be on the other side of the result, but we know what we have to work on now."
Thirteen different players scored for the Lancers on Saturday, but PJ McDonough and Thomas de Wit both led the way with five goals each. The true freshman de Wit scored a hat trick in his collegiate debut versus St. Francis.
PJ McDonough with the perfectly-placed shot for his third goal of the day!#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/GzWCe2lIUj
— CBU Men's Water Polo (@LancerWaterPolo) September 7, 2019
In fact, true freshmen combined to score nine of CBU's 30 goals on the day. Angel Sanchez scored twice on Bucknell, while Woody Gates and Joseph Griffin also scored in their first day of collegiate water polo.
📢 HE'S A FRESHMAN 📢
— CBU Men's Water Polo (@LancerWaterPolo) September 7, 2019
Thomas de Wit gets the 🎩 trick in his collegiate debut.#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/9IA6xPIJvM
"They all chipped in and knew their roles," Rosa said of his freshmen. "When they had the opportunity they took advantage."
It was senior Logan Mena who stood out most against the Bison. The center scored four times in the loss to tie his career high for the fifth time.
"That's what we expect our senior captain to do," Rosa said. "That's what he's going to do for us all year long, we expect that from him."
HOW DID HE DO THAT❓
— CBU Men's Water Polo (@LancerWaterPolo) September 7, 2019
Logan Mena has just scored back-to-back goals to cut down Bucknell's lead.#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/bBYETs9EQB
McDonough also scored a hat trick in the game, while de Wit, Joseph Galgani, Zach Lowery and Sanchez all scored twice, as well.
In the opener with Bucknell, CBU nearly overcame a four-goal deficit with seven-and-a-half minutes left in regulation, with a 3-0 run down the stretch, but their shot to force overtime in the final seconds was blocked. McDonough scored both of his goals in the final 3:36 to lead the comeback bid.
The Terriers benefitted from scoring three of their goals on penalty shots, including one in the first 18 seconds, without being called for any penalties themselves. CBU goalie Gabe Thorne finished with 13 saves, a steal and an assist. Kyle Christian posted two assists, two steals and a goal.
Goalie Gabe Thorne finished the season opener with 13 saves. Here's a look back at one of them.#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/xuvcwYQPCr
— CBU Men's Water Polo (@LancerWaterPolo) September 7, 2019
Defensively, CBU had success when able to set up its half-court defense, allowing just seven even-strength goals and holding St. Francis to one goal on six powerplay opportunities.
The Lancers trailed by as many as five in the shootout with the Bison. Bucknell held a 20-17 advantage with just about two minutes left in the fourth quarter before CBU started to turn on the pressure, as goals from McDonough and Galgani cut the deficit down to just one, 20-19, with 35 seconds to play.
Bucknell attempted to run out the clock, but the Lancers forced a turnover and called timeout with four seconds left to give themselves one last shot to tie the game. CBU's first shot was blocked, which led to a scrum with a Lancer punching the ball into the cage, but it came just after the buzzer sounded and the would-be-tying goal was waved off.
😱😱😱
— CBU Men's Water Polo (@LancerWaterPolo) September 8, 2019
A valiant comeback from CBU comes just a second too late. The Lancers put the ball in the cage right at the buzzer, but the would-be-tying goal is waved off.#LanceUp⚔ pic.twitter.com/RWCerGTQ0v
Riley Bumgardner finished with a team-high six points on five assists and a goal for CBU against the Bison. Those five assists are tied for the third most in a game in CBU single-season history. The Lancers start the year with an 0-2 record, while Bucknell and St. Francis are now both 2-0.
CBU will close out the Bruno Classic with games against Wagner and host Brown on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively. Both games are streamed live on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
2MD
/ Men's Water Polo
2M
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
G
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