(O'FALLON, Ill., Oct. 27) – The McKendree University men's water polo started off hot with a 20-11 defeat of Washington and Jefferson College and 12-5 win over Lindenwood University on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the wins, water polo moves to 10-11 overall on the season.
 
Game One
McKendree came out hot against the Presidents as they opened the game with a 5-0 lead. Freshman Matthew Haygood (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills High School) began the scoring by burying the team's first. Freshman Tony Sunagawa (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills High School) quickly added to the lead with a goal seconds later. Junior Joseph Mahan (Corinth, TX/John H Guyer High School) added in consecutive goals via five-meter penalty shots. Haygood knocked in his second with under a minute to go into the period. The Presidents added in a goal just before the buzzer and the Bearcats would lead 5-1 after the opening period.
 
Haygood stayed hot and put back to back balls into the cage to give McKendree a five goal lead. The Bearcats added in three consecutive goals with freshman Nico Rodriguez (Winter Park, FL/Oviedo High School), Brad Nelms (Lake Forest, CA/El Toro High School), and Sunagawa netting goals. Freshman Kyle Moore (Whittier, CA/La Habra High School) added in his first of the game with a five-meter penalty shot. Freshman Ben Brauer (Duisburg, Germany/Steinbart-Gymnasium Duisburg) rattled off three goals in under two minutes to close out the half. McKendree led 14-3 at the break.
 
With a five-meter penalty shot, Rodriguez added to the already sizable lead. Brauer stayed hot with consecutive goals at the mid-point of the third period. Freshman Aaron Jacobs (Houston, TX/Jersey Village High School) netted his first of the game late in the third period. Junior Robert Esson (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach High School) put away his first goal of the game at the start of the final period. Freshman Peter Germuska (Encinitas, CA/La Cost Canyon High School) closed out the scoring for the Bearcats with a goal three minutes left to go in the game. McKendree would go on to win 20-11 over Washington and Jefferson College.
 
Game Two
Junior Izaya Owotor (Portland, OR/David Douglas High School) got McKendree on the board at the three minute mark of the first period. Lindenwood stormed back and took a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period. Owotor netted his second goal of the game to cut into the Lion lead. Haygood notched the game at three with his first. Junior Michael Krause (St. Louis, MO/Saint Louis University High School) gave the Bearcats the lead with his first of the day and they took a 4-3 lead into halftime.
 
The Bearcats came out firing in the third period by putting five balls into the back of cage to extend their lead. Krause got it started with a goal less than a minute into the third. Mahan added his first of the game with four minutes left in the period. Owotor contributed consecutive goals to extend the lead to five. Brauer added in a goal with five-meter penalty shot. The Bearcats put the lions away with three goals in the final period. Mahan, Brauer, and Rodriguez were credited with the goals. McKendree defeated the Lions of Lindenwood University 12-5.
 
In the cage, sophomore Ori Scanlon (Orlando, FL/Olympia High School) made 15 saves and accumulated three steals in the win.
 
The men's water polo team will return to the pool Sunday, October 28 against Monmouth College at 10:30a.m. at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex.