ORANGE, Calif. - The No. 13 Santa Clara men's water polo team completed the season with a win and a 22-12 record after defeating Whittier, 17-9, in the WWPA Third Place Match held at Chapman University. It was the third time this season that the Broncos put up double digit scoring on the Poets.
Santa Clara took a commanding 8-0 lead over the course of the first half, getting two goals each from juniors Nick Poggetti and Mitch Klipa and senior Jack Wall 2. Freshman Patrick Weiss and senior Liam Farrell also tallied. Whittier finally got on the board with just 15 seconds to play in the first half, scoring on a 6-on-5 situation.
The Broncos didn't let up after the break, as Poggetti and sophomore Daley Meistrell came out with two goals in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the quarter. The Poets had their best effort of the game in the third period, earning three goals, but Farrell's two goals and redshirt junior Mark Soares' score helped Santa Clara best Whittier in the period 5-3.
In the fourth quarter, the Broncos added four more, including from three seniors playing in their final game (Mike Sorgenfrei, Jeff Welch, and Farrell). The Poets scored four times in the final eight minutes, putting the final score at 17-9.
Farrell was Santa Clara's leading scorer, tallying four goals, while Poggetti had three. All three Bronco goalies played, registering a combined 11 saves.
