ERIE, Pa.- The Mercyhurst men's water polo team starts a stretch of four West Coast games tomorrow, as they travel to California for the weekend. The Lakers open by playing Cal Lutheran on Thursday, October 9, at 8 p.m. On Friday, they play Pomona Pitzer at 10 p.m. They wrap up action with games against Chaffey College at 3 p.m. and Occidental College at 6 p.m. on Saturday. All start times are Eastern Time.
 
The Lakers will look to build off their win against Salem International. They won, 14-7, with Shaquille Mitchell's hat trick leading the way. While multiple Lakers helped the cause with two goals, Kevin Doyle tallied nine saves in goal. With the win, Mercyhurst improved to 5-7 this season.
 
Cal Lutheran has a 3-8 record. After a slow start, it has come on, winning three of its last four outings. The Kingsmen are coming off a 15-14 win over Iona, where Tyler Graper scored the game-winning goal. Zach Graper scored four goals and Camron Hauer added three assists. Jesse Owen recorded 14 saves in the win.
 
Pomona-Pitzer also won its last match. It held off Washington and Jefferson, 9-7. James Baker scored three times and Daniel Diemer saved 11 shots in net. Stephen Vint has a team-high 23 goals this year.
 
Chaffey has an 8-9 record. They put on a strong performance last weekend, winning three of four games as Blake Schwartz scored 11 goals. David Tapia made 36 saves in the four outings.
 
Occidental is 4-15 this season. Sam Akiyama had a hat trick in a win over Penn State Behrend, while Christopher Woodland and Paul Bergiven each posted two goals. Adam Florsheim registered three saves in the victory.