Slugfest success for Broncos

By Matthew Cucuzza

The men's water polo team duked it out this weekend at Slugfest, proving the tournament does live up to its name.

The No. 12 Broncos won three of their four games this weekend, which allowed them to continue to move steadily up in the national rankings.

"We're getting some recognition and it's great for the program," Head Coach Keith Wilbur said.

Though men's water polo is currently one of the most successful teams on campus, the squad is modest about their achievements.

"We're happy with where we're at, but we've still got work to do," said Wilbur. "We want to keep moving up."

The Broncos started Saturday with a win, turning California Lutheran aside with a 13-7 victory.

Senior Andrew Fitch and sophomore Nicholas Pogetti had three assists each, and freshman keeper Michael Wishart compiled eight blocks, two steals and two assists.

Junior Liam Farrell -- who is the team's lead scorer -- had three goals.

In their second game of the day, Santa Clara blasted Occidental College in a 20-11 win. Ten Broncos graced the scoresheet. Fitch had two goals, two assists and five steals. Sophomore Joshua Luebke scored two goals and posted one assist as well.

Sunday saw the team lose their only match of the weekend, a 9-8 heartbreaker to then-No. 16 University of Redlands. Seven Broncos tallied goals, but Redlands battled back in the second half to take the close game.

Santa Clara would not let the close loss set them back as they came out victorious in their final match up on Sunday with a 10-8 victory over then-No. 15 UC Davis.

Redshirt junior Jack Wall posted six goals for the Broncos as they bested the Aggies for the first time in five years.

"He's a leader," Wilbur said of Wall. "Everyone plays better when he is in the water."

Wall missed all of last season due to injury, and his return has sparked the Broncos to a commanding start, allowing Santa Clara to diversify its attack.

Wall credits his successful start to his anxiousness to return to the pool.

"Watching the guys last year made me want to work really hard and get back," Wall said.

A raucous crowd made the trip over the hill to Santa Cruz to cheer on their Broncos.

"We had a lot of fans come to see us play Davis at UC Santa Cruz, and the atmosphere was great," Wilbur said.

"We play better when there are a lot of fans," Wall added. "It's all about the fans."

The new Sullivan Aquatics Center still appears to be on schedule to open for Santa Clara's first home matches of the season on Oct. 23.

While happy to move into a state-of-the-art facility, the Broncos have some fond memories of their old home, which they affectionately call "The Bathtub."

"There were stands on three sides of the pool and when it was full it was like the fans were right on top of you," Wilbur said. "Hopefully we can have that atmosphere at our new pool."

Junior utility player Liam Farrell -- who is originally from the Santa Barbara area -- said the success of the Broncos has prompted several Southern California water polo players to reconsider their choice of schools. Wilbur admits to receiving inquiries from players who have followed Farrell and the Broncos over the past few years and are now interested in attending Santa Clara.

"Most people from around Santa Barbara don't think to come up here," Farrell said. "It has been exciting to see that our recent success has contributed to a growth in interest about the program for the Santa Barbara area."

Santa Clara's next four matches are this weekend at the Claremont Convergence.

The Broncos are scheduled to play Whittier College and Claremont on Saturday before battling Chapman University and Concordia University on Sunday.

Wall hopes the team can continue its streak of success and continue to gain notoriety for the program.

"We're moving up to the big leagues," Wall said.

Contact Matthew Cucuzza at (808) 551-1918 or mcucuzza@scu.edu.

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