Saturday, October 24
San Jose, CA
3:40 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
13
vs
14
Pomona Pitzer
Photo by: Kennedy Schultz | Saint Mary's Athletics
10/24/2026 6:40:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Saint Mary's men's water polo team battled the No. 1 ranked program in NCAA Division III, Pomona-Pitzer, in a back-and-forth battle on Saturday afternoon, ultimately falling 14-13 in sudden-death overtime. The Gaels pushed the Sagehens through regulation and two overtime periods before Pomona-Pitzer secured the golden goal. Leo Hachem led Saint Mary's offensively with five goals, while Griffin Lagsdin recorded 10 saves in the cage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's came out strong in the opening quarter, with South African duo Ethan Klerck connecting with Noah Bigara for the first goal of the match. Leo Hachem, Jacob Carlson, and Kyle Stilinovich also found the back of the net to give the Gaels a 4-2 lead after the first eight minutes. Both teams added two goals in the second quarter, with Hachem accounting for both of Saint Mary's to head into halftime with a 6-4 lead.
The Gaels and Sagehens once again matched each other with two goals apiece in the third quarter. Hachem netted his fourth of the match before Andrew Donlin added another to maintain Saint Mary's two goal advantage at 8-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Harry Irwin opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, followed by goals from Mason Black and Hamish Ellison. The Sagehens responded by adding five goals of their own to tie the match at 11-11 and send the game into overtime.
Irwin and Hachem each found the back of the net in the first overtime period, while the Gaels held the Sagehens scoreless to take a 13-11 lead. Pomona-Pitzer responded with two unanswered goals in the second overtime period to even the score at 13-13 and forced sudden death, where they secured the golden goal to take the 14-13 victory.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will close out the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament tomorrow, Sunday, October 25 as the take on No. 18 Harvard at 8:00 a.m. The game will be streamed live at https://santaclarabroncos.com/watch/ and additional match information can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's came out strong in the opening quarter, with South African duo Ethan Klerck connecting with Noah Bigara for the first goal of the match. Leo Hachem, Jacob Carlson, and Kyle Stilinovich also found the back of the net to give the Gaels a 4-2 lead after the first eight minutes. Both teams added two goals in the second quarter, with Hachem accounting for both of Saint Mary's to head into halftime with a 6-4 lead.
The Gaels and Sagehens once again matched each other with two goals apiece in the third quarter. Hachem netted his fourth of the match before Andrew Donlin added another to maintain Saint Mary's two goal advantage at 8-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Harry Irwin opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, followed by goals from Mason Black and Hamish Ellison. The Sagehens responded by adding five goals of their own to tie the match at 11-11 and send the game into overtime.
Irwin and Hachem each found the back of the net in the first overtime period, while the Gaels held the Sagehens scoreless to take a 13-11 lead. Pomona-Pitzer responded with two unanswered goals in the second overtime period to even the score at 13-13 and forced sudden death, where they secured the golden goal to take the 14-13 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Leo Hachem recorded his third consecutive multi-goal performance with five goals, bringing his season total to 45 to rank 10th in the WCC.
- Harry Irwin recorded his second consecutive multi-goal performance.
- Griffin Lagsdin tallied 10 saves in the cage for the Gaels.
- Domenico Barillà, Donlin, and Ellison each recorded two assists.
- The Gaels had eight different players find the back of the net.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will close out the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament tomorrow, Sunday, October 25 as the take on No. 18 Harvard at 8:00 a.m. The game will be streamed live at https://santaclarabroncos.com/watch/ and additional match information can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Men's Water PoloUTL
/ Men's Water PoloUTL
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloGK
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloSunday, October 25
Friday, October 23
Saturday, October 17
Friday, October 16
