Stockton, Calif. - A duo of Pacific water polo players put on dominating displays in the gold medal games of the UANA Junior Pan Ams in Edmonton Thursday.
Luis Araya, an incoming freshman for the Pacific men's water polo team, scored six times in the men's gold medal game, but the United States fell to Canada to finish with the silver medal.
Kyra Christmas scored seven goals in the championship game to lead Team Canada to the gold medal. Canada downed the United States 11-10, with Christmas scoring two fourth-quarter goals, including the game-winner with 3:33 to go.
Araya finished the tournament with 29 goals in seven games, the third most in the tournament. He posted a hat trick or more in every game, as he scored 17 goals in the group stages, including six against Canada. He added three goals in the United States' 13-11 win over Brazil in the semifinals. The Stockton native was a two-time All-American in High School at Saint Mary's, and will join the Tigers in the fall.
Christmas finished with 21 goals in five games in the tournament, third-most on the women's side. She averaged four goals per game in three group stage contests before adding a pair of goals in the semifinals against Puerto Rico. She played in four games as her freshman for Pacific before a shoulder injury cut her year short, but Christmas racked up 19 goals in those four games (against No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 Cal, No. 9 UC Davis and Sonoma State).