WHITTIER, Calif. – The Caltech Beavers men's water polo team fought back from a 4-1 halftime deficit to defeat the Whittier College Poets Saturday, bringing home the young squad's first SCIAC victory of 2023 conference play.

Defense and goalkeeping ruled the day as both teams struggled to find the back of the net early on, but rookie Axel Haydt put the Beavers on the scoreboard first. Whittier then replied with four unanswered goals, stretching all the way to the 3:23 mark of the second quarter.

The Poets frustrated Caltech shooters with six field blocks in the game, keeping the Beavers at bay all the way until the 4:23 mark of the third quarter when sophomore Bram Schork stopped Whittier's scoring streak with Caltech's second goal. He buried his second a few minutes later to bring Caltech back within one goal, and then won the fourth quarter opening sprint to earn a valuable first possession for his team.

First-year Alexi Stapf tied the game at 4-4 with a goal at the 6:50 mark of the final quarter, but Whittier immediately reponded with a goal 17 seconds later to retake the lead. Not willing to cede momentum, freshman Justin Hong equalized again at 6:08. A few minutes later he drew a five-meter penalty foul and then buried his ensuing penalty shot for the Beavers' first lead of the game.

Caltech dug in on defense for the remaining few minutes, eventually benefitting from a yellow card issued to Whittier for an errant timeout call when they didn't have possession. Head Coach Jon Bonafede declined the five-meter penalty, opting instead to defend and run out the remaining time. Desperate for one more shot at tying the game, Whittier ended up getting called for an exclusion with five seconds remaining, and Caltech held possession until time expired.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sujit Iyer turned away 11 Poet shots, good enough for a season-high .688 save percentage.

"Everyone did something to help us out today," said Coach Bonafede. "We did the right things at the right times. We out-muscled and out-played them; it all came down our heart. To come back from a 4-1 deficit at the half really shows the heart of the team and the hard work that they've put in."

Betsy Mitchell, Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation was in attendance to witness the dramatic win. "I am so proud of Coach Bonafede and the team for their resilience and work effort," she said following the comeback thriller.

The Beavers will wrap the home portion of their 2023 season at Braun Pool as they host the University of Redlands Bulldogs on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.