LA HABRA, Calif. --- Aiden Ortiz scored four goals and Micah Hernandez dished out six assists as Biola men's water polo powered past Fresno Pacific, 16-9, in a WWPA matchup Friday night at Sonora High School.
Hernandez's six assists tied the program's single-game record, and he added a goal of his own to lead a balanced offensive effort. Ortiz scored four times on six shots and added an assist, while Gavin Starling and Landon Heuer each recorded hat tricks. Kyle Seifen contributed two goals and two assists, and Jake Burns, Isaac Demski and Ryder Imbriani each found the back of the net. Noah Ryznar chipped in two assists.
"We got some amazing, amazing players that, any given day, any one of them can go off," said Head Coach
Jens Cole.
The Eagles came out firing, scoring the first three goals of the contest, all on extra-man opportunities. Burns opened the scoring before Starling followed with a goal of his own. Ortiz capped the early run off a Hernandez assist with 1:24 remaining in the opening period. The Sunbirds answered in the closing seconds to make it 3-1.
Fresno Pacific pulled within one early in the second quarter, but Biola responded with four unanswered goals to regain control. Heuer and Seifen each scored twice during the stretch, helping the Eagles build an 8-3 advantage. The Sunbirds converted an extra-man opportunity in the final minute, sending Biola into halftime with an 8-4 lead.
Biola delivered its biggest offensive punch in the third, pouring in six goals to put the game out of reach. Ortiz opened the period with his second goal before Starling sparked the Eagles' five-goal run. Starling scored twice during the stretch, while Ortiz, Heuer and Demski each added a goal to push the advantage to 14-5. Fresno Pacific found the net once more before the quarter expired, but the Eagles still held a commanding 14-6 lead.
The Sunbirds opened the fourth with an extra-man goal, but Hernandez answered with a man-up finish of his own. Ortiz then completed his four-goal performance off a Ryznar assist with 5:39 remaining, extending Biola's lead to 16-7. Fresno Pacific added two late goals, but the Eagles comfortably closed out the 16-9 victory.
"Our goal is always to hold teams to less than 10," Cole said.
Igor Pinheiro played all 32 minutes in goal and recorded 10 saves. Biola finished with 16 goals on 28 shots, converted five extra-man opportunities and collected 10 steals.
"Another really complete game from him, just in terms of how he sets up the offense and gets some amazing blocks on defense and communicates," Cole said.
The victory moved the Eagles to 14-15 overall and 4-2 in WWPA play, while Fresno Pacific fell to 6-17 and 2-3 in conference action. It marked Biola's second win over the Sunbirds this season, following a 15-12 road victory on Oct. 9.
Biola heads south next week for a matchup at #7 UC San Diego on Thursday, Nov. 12.
