Oct. 12, 2008

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After playing another weekend on the road, the No. 12 Santa Clara men's water polo team improved their record to 13-6 on the season. On Sunday, Oct. 12, the Broncos dominated the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, 17-3. They came out firing the ball and playing a strong defensive game. Nicholas Poggetti scored three goals in the day's effort, as 13 different players got the ball in the net.

James Case had a strong game both offensively and defensively, as he had a goal, two assists and a steal. Freshman Brett Zylstra also saw significant time in the pool, as he posted two goals and tallied three assists. Both Michael Wishart and Thomas Favero were able to get in at goalie, as they posted five blocks and three blocks, respectively. Wishart, who has started in all 19 games for the Broncos this season, posted a steal and an assist in the first half. Favero, who took over goalie duties in the second half, had two steals in the game.

Mitchell Klipa had a standout weekend at 2M defender. He created a lot of opportunities for SCU all weekend long. At Santa Cruz, he not only kept the Slugs out of the net with three steals, but also got in on the offensive game with two goals.

"He is our primary 2M defender," head coach Keith Wilbur said about the standout Klipa. "Most players in his position are not able to score goals, but Mitch is very versatile and works well to create opportunities for us."

The Broncos were able to powerhouse over Santa Cruz after falling the day before to No. 13 UC Davis. This was the second meeting between Santa Clara and Davis this season. In their first meeting, SCU won, 10-8, at the Slugfest Tournament.

In Saturday's game, Davis came out firing and Santa Clara was not able to get an advantage on the avenging Aggies. Junior Liam Farrell, who has been an offensive threat for SCU all year, got on the board twice, and worked to keep the Broncos in the game, but Davis, who was in front of their home crowd in their season home opener, could not be stopped.

"The guys did a great job bouncing back after the loss to Davis," Wilbur said. "They came out strong at Santa Cruz, were aggressive, executed plays well and played tough."

Santa Clara, who has played the last 19 games on the road, will open up the home-half of the 2008 schedule in their newly renovated pool. The Broncos will take on Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m., followed by hosting California Baptist at 5 p.m.

Game One
Santa Clara 7, UC Davis 12

Game Two
Santa Clara 17, UC Santa Cruz 3

Goals
Farrell - 1, Early - 1, Meistrell - 1, Akerland - 1, Luebke - 1, Klipa - 2, Sorgenfrei - 1, Detoy - 1, Fitch - 1, Poggetti - 3, Case - 1, Zylstra - 2, Hobbs - 1

Assists
Farrell - 1, Early - 1, Meistrell - 1, Akerland - 1, Luebke - 1, Sorgenfrei - 3, Parolin - 1, Detoy - 1, Case - 2, Wall - 1, Wishart - 1

Steals
Early - 2, Meistrell - 2, Akerland - 1, Luebke - 3, Klipa - 3, Sorgenfrei - 1, Fitch - 1, Poggetti - 1, Case - 1, Wall - 1, Zylstra - 3, Hobbs - 1, Wishart - 1, Favero - 2

Kick Outs Drawn
Farrell - 1, Akerland - 1, Sorgenfrei - 4, Detoy - 1, Poggetti - 2, Wall - 1

Blocks Wishart - 5, Favero - 3