The No. 18 Santa Clara men's water polo team took a win and a loss on the first day of the NorCal Invitational at California, falling to fifth-ranked UC Irvine, 14-3, and defeating No. 16 Navy, 11-7.
In the first match against the Anteaters, the Broncos received goals from junior James Case, freshman Travis Greco, and senior Josh Luebke
Santa Clara played a tight match against UC Irvine, only trailing at half, 4-2. Five goals in both the third and fourth quarters by the Anteaters sealed the fate of the Broncos, who could only post one other goal in the final 16 minutes. Junior goalie Michael Wishart had six blocks in the game.
The victory over Navy gets credited as an upset for Santa Clara. Senior Mitch Klipa shined with three goals, while juniors Brett Zylstra and Daley Meistrell each scored two. The Broncos jumped out to a 7-3 lead by halftime and were only outscored in the fourth quarter, 2-1. Also scoring for the Broncos was Case, senior Stephen Hobbs, freshman Tucker Carlson, and senior Nick Poggetti. Wishart made 10 saves.
The Broncos will continue play in the tournament tomorrow at a different site, Diablo Valley College. Santa Clara will play WWPA foe No. 8 Loyola Marymount at 10:40 a.m.
