STOCKTON, CA--- The California Baptist men's water polo team headed north to the home of the Pacific Tigers for the West Coast Conference Tournament and pulled out a first-round win over five-seeded Santa Clara to advance to the semifinals. The four-seeded Lancers had a stunning first half that was very fruitful offensively and survived a second-half resurgence from the Broncos to secure a 12-11 victory. CBU improves to 21-12 this season and will face the one-seeded Pacific Tigers during the second round of the WCC Tournament.
The Broncos found the back of the net just thirty seconds into the match but were unable to strike again for five minutes after an onslaught of Lancer goals would push CBU to an early 5-2 lead in the first frame. The second quarter was similar to the first, with another five goals netted on behalf of California Baptist led by Toring Stanley, an All-WCC Honorable Mention honoree. CBU was also very strong defensively, limiting Santa Clara to just five goals in the first half after William Whitstone pulled out several key saves, including a five-meter penalty save.
The third and fourth quarters saw much more offense from the Broncos, who found a second wind with their season on the line. After denting the twine twice in the third, Santa Clara put the Lancers on their heels with four goals in the final frame and threatened to tie the game twice. A timely goal from Bodhi Bowden kept CBU ahead, and the senior came in clutch again in the Lancer's defensive third with a field block in the final 30 seconds of the game to secure the victory.
Both Bowden and Stanley ended the match with three goals apiece, while Whitstone tied his season-high saves at 16 against the Broncos. The Lancers will gear up to face the Pacific tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the semifinals for a chance to punch their ticket to the WCC Tournament Championship for a second year in a row.
