MERCED, Calif. — The Santa Clara University men's water polo team exploded out of the gate in their 2025 debut Saturday, scoring a total of 43 goals across two victories at UC Merced's Bobcat Mini. The Broncos took down the host Bobcats, 26-3, in the morning before topping Fresno Pacific, 17-7, in the afternoon at UC Merced's Aquatics Center.
 
vs. UC MERCED

• Freshmen powered Santa Clara to its most goals in a game in at least 18 years during the team's first game of the day versus the host Bobcats (0-1). Rookies Imme van der Schaaf, Ashton Brown, Beck Early, Jamie De Zwart and Weston Bancroft all shined Saturday morning in their collegiate debuts with multi-goal games. Van der Schaaf led SCU with four goals, Brown scored three, while Early, De Zwart and redshirt freshman Weston Bancroft all scored two each.
   
• Santa Clara had 10 multi-goal performances against UC Merced, with returners Reese Jenican, Julien Chow, Riccardo De Simon, Luke Baird and Reece Hammond each joining in on the fun with two goals apiece.
   
• Jason Alietti, Thomas Wisdom and Grant Roesch added one goal each. Van der Schaaf's first goal of the game and his career was Santa Clara's first score of the game, only 34 seconds in, and they were off. The Broncos would score seven goals in the first period to lead, 7-1, and eight more in the second to lead, 15-1, at the break. Seven more goals in the third frame made it 22-3, and single goals from Chow, Bancroft, De Zwart and Early gave the team its most goals in a game since at least the 2007 season. SCU scored 23 goals at home versus Air Force last season in a West Coast Conference game on Nov. 15, 2024.
   
• Harrison Labrosse made eight saves while playing the first two periods and earning the win. Oven Van Stralen made three saves in the third period, and Tyler Swensen collected three stops while shutting out the Bobcats in the fourth.

vs. FRESNO PACIFIC

• Santa Clara took down former Western Water Polo Association foe Fresno Pacific Saturday for the fifth consecutive time since 2022. The 17-7 score also marked the fifth consecutive time the Broncos beat the Sunbirds (0-1) by scoring double-digit goals while limiting FPU to single digits.
   
• West Coast Conference Preseason Team selection and returning Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches All-American Honorable Mention De Simon led Santa Clara with three goals. Baird, Chow and Jenican all had two goals each.
   
• Brothers Charlie and Henry Engs, Brown, Hammond, Early and Roesch all tallied one goal apiece. Charlie Engs led the team with three assists for a team-high four points overall. Early also had a multi-assist game with two.
   
• Santa Clara started strong, dominating the first period with six goals against Fresno Pacific's two. Baird Wisdom each found the net during the opening quarter. The Broncos stayed hot in the second period, scoring three more goals while limiting the Sunbirds to only one. The third period saw Santa Clara further extend its lead with five additional goals. Henry Engs and Hammond contributed to the second-half scoring.
   
• The Broncos divvyed up the goalkeeping duties in the afternoon versus Fresno Pacific nearly the same way they did in the morning versus UC Merced. Labrosse played the entire first period and most of the second, making eight saves. Van Stralen took over late in the second stanza to close out the first half, play the entire third period and most of the fourth. Swensen finished the game's final four minutes in net. Van Stralen and Swensen made one save each.
   
• The Sunbirds had two multi-goal performances, with Joey Brocar and Tristin Fox both scoring two goals.

COMING UP

• Santa Clara travels across the country next week for the annual Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J. There, they'll play four games in three days from Friday through Sept. 7, including two against top-10 teams No. 3 Fordham (Sept. 7) and host No. 10 Princeton (Saturday).