After four years of packing up the cars and driving to Oaks Christian School, Thursday night was homecoming for the Cal Lutheran men's water polo team.

The Kingsmen hosted their first match at the Samuelson Aquatics Center, the $3.35 million on-campus facility completed in January adjacent to the Gilbert Center.

Senior Scott Bredesen and sophomore Matt Heagy scored four goals apiece and goalkeeper Jordan Bouey made a game-saving block in the final seconds as Cal Lutheran defeated Mercyhurst College, 8-7, in the first game of the inaugural CLU Fall Tournament.

"It's huge," said coach Craig Rond. "For the guys that stuck it out, it's a wonderful chance to play in front of a home crowd.

"It felt good knowing that 95 percent of the people here were cheering for us. It's a big improvement from going across town and having hardly anybody there for you."

After 10 months of construction, the center was completed in time for the CLU aquatics teams to take the first "plunge" in a ceremony on Jan. 29. It was dedicated March 24. The women's water polo team played in the facility along the way to winning the Division III national title last spring.

The Kingsmen waited the longest for their turn.

"It means so much to be right here on campus," said Bredesen.

CLU, ranked No. 4 in national College Water Polo Association Division III poll, returns four starters from last year's group that finished third in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Its 2-4 record includes competitive losses to Division I schools Pepperdine and UC San Diego.

It's a far cry from the inaugural team of 2003, which finished 0-18.

"I feel like we have a solid foundation," said Rond. "Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of talent. We're learning to play as a team."

Bredesen scored with 17 seconds left in the half to give CLU a 5-3 edge over the visitors from Erie, Pa. The lead was 8-5 with five minutes to play before Mercyhurst made a final push, forcing a final save from Bouey.

In the second match of the 10-team weekend tournament, Cal Lutheran will host Fresno Pacific at 8 a.m. this morning in a game that offers more history. It will be the Central Valley school's first aquatic event in its history.