The College of San Mateo men's water polo team beat Cabrillo College 16-14 at home in its Coast Conference opener on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Adrian Gong led the way with seven goals on 12 shots. Goalie Brayden Jones played all four quarters and recorded 14 saves. The win was CSM's third straight and improved the Bulldogs to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play, according to the CSM athletics department.
The Bulldogs jumped on Cabrillo early, outscoring the Seahawks 12-3 in the first quarter. San Mateo added three more goals in the second period and took a commanding 15-5 lead into halftime.
Gong carried the offense, but he had help. Alex Vasquez added three goals. Maddox Serdy and Sean Coffin each scored twice, while John Iwers and Raymond Huang contributed one goal apiece.
Cabrillo refused to fold after the break. The Seahawks outscored San Mateo 4-1 in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 16-9 heading into the final period. Cabrillo then rattled off five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter, pulling within two.
CSM's early cushion held.
Jones's 14 saves anchored the defense down the stretch. On the other end, Gong and Serdy each recorded two steals. Serdy led the team with three blocks, and Huang added two.
For Cabrillo, sophomore Brady Reed and freshman Will Duheme each scored four goals, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported. David Daniels added two goals, and Tristan Popp, Sam Hoffman, Joaquin McGuigan and Gabriel Thomas also scored. Cabrillo goalie Aiden O'Niell made 12 saves. The Seahawks fell to 7-5 overall and 0-2 in the Coast Conference South Division.
