Men’s Water Polo Make Playoffs in First Year of Program

The inaugural season is proving to be much more successful than any outsiders would have expected. But not for the members of the water polo team. They believed they were this good the entire season.

During the team’s last two games, it has been pretty intense and very important for the team as it heads into playoffs. They won both games with scores of 9-8 and 15-12 respectively. The Lions’ 9-8 victory over Chapman has been the highlight of the season to date. With many Vanguard fans in attendance, the team pulled off an impressive come-from-behind victory.

“The crowd was intense, all the fans yelling motivated us to perform at a higher level,” Junior Samuel Gonzales

The Lions held Chapman scoreless in the 3rd quarter, which is significant because up until this point in the season, the 3rd quarter was when the team members lost their heads and composure, giving up easy goals.

Vanguard trailed until the 7:29 mark of the 4th quarter, with a score of 7-8. The final minute of the game was intense. In the final 25 seconds of the game, the team scored three goals, featuring David Buckalew’s game-winning goal with only four seconds remaining.

The Lions followed this victory with an impressive 15-13 victory over La Verne.

Freshman goalkeeper Cody Skelly had a unreal game totaling nine saves, two steals, and an assist to lead the Lions to victory. Gonzales had some amazing goals that left both teams in awe, when filling in for the normal starter Israel Romero.

“Sam did a great job [filling in for Israel] and put away some great goals. The defense played great and with that we brought in the win,” Skelly said. “We are all pretty excited about the post season and the challenges ahead of us”

The Lions’ next match will be the NAIA Postseason tournament, to be played on Nov. 12 at a location and time to be announced once tournament seedings are finished.