September 23, 2024
Warriors win against Occidental
By: Chase Dodge
Westcliff Water Polo had an impressive week taking on #4 Pepperdine, #12 UC Santa Barbara and Occidental College in the pool.
Westcliff v #4 Pepperdine: L, 20-7
Warriors went up to the Waves. Pepperdine and Warriors were neck and neck in the 1st period but saw the Waves extend to take the win 20-7. Westcliff was led in this match by Adam Hodi offensively with 3 goals; followed by Manuel Augusto adding 2 and newcomers Csanad Varga and Domonic Tronconi got on the board as well.
Coaches' Notes
"Our defensive struggled to get back on the many break away goals by Pepperdine. We lacked fluid ball movement and looked very tight offensively. Not our best performance vs the Waves but I expected these challenges early on in the season as we have faced more top 10 NCAA Division 1 teams than any other team in the nation at this point in the season".
Westcliff v #12 UC Santa Barbara: L, 23-14
Warriors capped off their top 15 match up in the pool against the Gauchos. Westcliff had a better day offensively putting up 14 Goals against NCAA Top 15 ranked Division 1 team. Manuel Augusto led the effort with 5 goals followed by Kammerer with 3 goals and Vidovics with 2, while Hamurculu, Hodi and Ariste roading it out with a goal a piece.
Coaches' Notes
"We once again struggled defensively. Armin Jusztin has been good early on this season in the goal for us and I know he'll be in great form a few more games in under his belt. This was a tough double-header for us with only 90 minutes between games against some really good D1 teams". "We're getting to get in shape and getting to know each other, and being challenged is what we need at this point. I'm looking forward to playing a few more equally aligned programs to see where we stand."
Westcliff v Occidental: W, 19-16
Warriors on Sunday took on Occidental College taking home their 1st win of the season with 19 Goals a season high. A lot of Warriors contributed offensively to this win. Augusto, Vidovics, Maodus, Hodi, Khizanishvili, Tronconi and Artiste all had goals against Oxy.
Coaches, Notes
"After starting the game down 0-5; our shooting was extremely inaccurate early on having many opportunities where we sailed it above the cage. But, after calling a timeout we turned it around in a big way, scoring 7 of the next 8 goals and never looking back. Armin Jusztin was solid in the cage with 16 saves in a real shoot out. The game was very physical and both teams battled until the final buzzer. Adam Hodi, Manuel Augusto and Barnabas Vidovics led the scoring with 5, 4, and 3 a piece, followed with Andrj Maodus, Giorgi Khizanishvili, and Dominic Tronconi chipping in with 2 goals each. First year player Jaime Ariste scored his first goal of the season as well. "Our defense needs some work but it's improving, we are a long way from a complete team but we're starting to work together. We'll take the win". - Head Coach Erik Zimmerman