Claremont, Calif. – The #10 Pacific men's water polo team completed the 2023 Gary Troyer Tournament with an unblemished 4-0 record, winning 15-14 over Redlands and 19-8 over Cal Lutheran on Saturday at Matt M. Axelrood Pool.
 
With the back-to-back wins, the Tigers extend their road winning streak to nine games and secure a 9-2 overall record.
 
Graduate student Stefan Vavic carried the torch for Pacific's offense in both performances, collecting a combined eight goals and two assists across the two victories. Junior Gil Gvishi scored five goals in game one, followed by tallying a pair of assists in the second contest.
 
In the win over Redlands, the Tigers received hat tricks from Gvishi (five goals), Vavic and fifth-year senior Rene Peralta. Peralta also notched a game-high three assists.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out of the gate with momentum, striking first four times in a row. The Tigers quickly regrouped and responded with three goals before the end of the first period to cut into the home team's lead. Pacific would find its rhythm offensively in the next frame, scoring four more goals while allowing just two, eventually deadlocking the score at 7-7.
 
The Tigers put together their best period of the game out of the halftime break, tallying six goals in part thanks to Peralta's third-period hat trick. Pacific would carry a 13-8 lead into the fourth frame. The Bulldogs attempted to mount a comeback with a barrage of attacks, but the Tigers' defense locked down and ultimately held on for the 15-14 victory.
 
The afternoon game against Cal Lutheran saw the Tigers and Kingsmen trade scoring chances and present a 3-3 draw at the conclusion of the first frame. From there, the Tigers poured on the offense, scoring at least five goals each in the next three periods, including six in the second frame. With a 9-4 lead at halftime, the Tigers never looked back and eventually took control of the game late with a 19-8 final score.
 
Five different Pacific players scored two or more goals in the afternoon performance, including freshman Thomas Colpo, who collected his first two goals as a Tiger. Vavic paced the offense with five goals and six points while Peralta tacked on two goals and two helpers.
 
Senior Lewis Gale made five saves in the win over Redlands and five more saves in the win over Cal Lutheran. Freshman John Winters also made an appearance in the win over the Kingsmen as he made two saves in the fourth frame.
 
Pacific looks to carry its momentum from the Gary Troyer Tournament into its final game of the weekend as the Tigers take on #3 USC at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1.