Oct. 17, 2004

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's water polo team dropped 4-3 heartbreaker to UC Santa Cruz in its home opener at Leavey Pool on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 8-14 on the season.

The match was dominated by defense as only four goals were scored in the first three quarters of play between the two teams. Both goalkeepers posted strong days in the cage, as Santa Clara's Peter Moore recorded 10 saves in the contest.

SCU struck first as Jon Greco gave SCU a 1-0 lead with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter. The Banana Slugs would answer quickly with their own score only two minutes later. Heading into the second period, the teams were knotted at 1-1.

The squads would once again trade goals in the second period and went into halftime tied at 2-2. After UC Santa Cruz converted an extra-man opportunity with 3:25 left in the frame, the Broncos would answer back with an extra-man goal from Charlie Moore with less than two minutes to play in the half.

After a scoreless third period, the Banana Slugs scored at the 5:14 mark to take a 3-2 advantage. Once again, Santa Clara evened the match with an extra-man goal from Matthew Martin with only 3:48 left in the match. However, UCSC would post another goal off a 6-on-5 opportunity with 3:04 remaining to take the 4-3 lead.

The Broncos will return to Leavey Pool next weekend for a pair of matches on Saturday. At 2:00 p.m., Santa Clara will face the Bay Area Masters before hosting its annual alumni match at 3:30 p.m.