LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's water polo team was turned back by University of California Merced, 25-5, on day two of the Gary Troyer Invitational, hosted by Occidental College at De Mandel Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Lyons fall to 0-9 on the season, while the Bobcats improve to 4-8.
UC Merced outshot Wheaton, 44-17.
Sophomore utility player Spyros Rapsomanikis (Kerkyra, Greece) tallied two points with a goal and an assist, while adding two steals, a pair of field blocks and a drawn exclusion and first year attacker Hudson Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.) scored a goal in addition to an assist for Wheaton. Sophomore two-meter defender Jack Ruggiero (Hamden, Conn.) tallied a goal and recorded a field block. Sophomore two-meter defender Josh Vander Wagen (Brookfield, Ill.) netted a goal, while classmate Michael Ruemelin (Chicago, Ill.) scored a goal and came up with two steals. First year goalie Nic Boyer (Toledo, Ohio) stopped eight shots and made two steals.
First year center Weston Oliver (Camarillo, Calif.) erupted for a career-high nine goals to go with three steals and two drawn exclusions for the Bobcats. Junior attackers Evan Ladeairous (Fresno, Calif.) and Noah Hernandez (Oxnard, Calif.) each netted four goals. Junior goalie Matthew Lloyd (Napa, Calif.) stopped two of six shots in 16 minutes, while sophomore Misha Golovatyi (Mountain View, Calif.) allowed a goal in 16 minutes of action.
California Merced netted the first two goals of the contest, before Ruemelin put the Lyons on the board at the 3:29 mark of the opening quarter to cut the deficit in half. The Bobcats scored the next five goals, including a pair from Oliver, to take a 7-1 advantage with 7:10 left in the second period.
Wheaton scored three of the next four goals, including markers from Ruggiero, Vander Wagen and Kosiba to pull the Lyons within 8-4 with 3:20 to go in the second period. Wheaton's momentum was short-lived as Cal Merced went on a torrid 14-0 run, fueled by five goals from Oliver and four from Hernandez, to take a commanding 22-4 advantage with 5:48 showing in the fourth quarter. Rapsomanikis stopped the Bobcats scoring surge with a Lyon marker coming with 5:24 remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 22-5. Cal Merced tallied the final three markers, including the final two scores from Oliver.
Wheaton returns to action tonight when it plays California Institute of Technology at 6:15 p.m. at Occidental, while the Bobcats play University of La Verne at 4:00 p.m.
