PRINCETON, N.J. - Santa Clara men's water polo had an overall great day in the pool in the first of two days of the Princeton Invitational. The Broncos (0-3) took on a pair of top-20 programs and took each down to the wire, but unfortunately SCU ended up on the wrong side of a 9-8 final in both games. 

Game one - Santa Clara vs. No. 20 Navy

The Broncos opened with five unanswered goals against the 20th-ranked Midshipmen, but Navy clawed their way back into the match to force overtime. Late in the overtime period, it was Navy's Will Clark that was able to score the walk-off point with the final seconds ticking off the clock. Santa Clara redshirt junior goalkeeper Chase Zamborelli was a stalwart force in the net, making a career-best 19 saves. Dominick Kirk had a hat trick with three goals and added a pair of assists while newcomer Jackson Westerman drew three kickouts in addition to scoring his first goal as a Bronco. 

Game two - Santa Clara vs. No. 10 Princeton

It was a tough defensive scrum for both sides with the Broncos and Tigers trading goals for the first three periods. Kirk scored the first goal of the match for his fourth score of the day and the Broncos would go into the halftime tied at 4-4. Princeton struck quickly out of the intermission, but Zach Fales tied it up on a great shot 10 feet out from the goal. The 10th ranked Tigers then got the break they needed as they scored on back-to-back possessions to grab on to the lead for good. Caedmon Fisher scored inside the final 45 seconds of the match to make it 9-8, but that was as close as the Broncos would get. Chase Raisin played a great defensive game, coming away with three steals, while Zamborelli had a busy game once again in the net with 12 saves. 

Santa Clara concludes their time at the Princeton Invitational with two more matches beginning at 7:30 a.m. PT against Iona. The Broncos will then finish off their time in the Garden State with an 11:15 a.m. PT match against Wagner.