(LAVERNE, Calif., Oct. 6) – The men's water polo team closed the out Gary Troyer Invite on Saturday by beating Occidental College 9-6 and falling to California Lutheran University in a close 13-11 loss. The Bearcats finished 1-3 on the weekend.
 
Game One
Freshman Matthew Haygood (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills High School) wasted no time as he scored the first goal of the goal just 20 seconds in. Junior Izaya Owotor (Portland, OR/David Douglas High School) gave the Bearcats back the lead after Occidental tied the game at one. The Tigers tied the game again but not for long as junior Michael Krause (St. Louis, MO/Saint Louis University High School) put one in the back of the cage. Sophomore Abraham Allen (Webster Groves, MO/Webster Groves High School) tied the game at four apiece just before half.
Occidental took the lead but shortly into the third period, but freshman Ben Brauer (Duisburg, Germany/Steinbart-Gymnasium Duisburg) tied the game again at five. Brauer would get his second as he gave McKendree the lead. Freshman Jackson Spencer (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) extended the lead as he added his first of the game. Freshman Adrian Maher () and Brauer would put this game out of reach as they added to the lead. McKendree would go on to win 9-6 over Occidental College.
 
Game Two
California Lutheran took the lead early but Brauer tied it up at one when he scored his first of the match. Haygood evened the game at two after the Kingsmen took the lead. The game was tied at two after the opening period. Haygood and Brauer gave McKendree the lead after they scored consecutive goals. The Kingsmen rattled off five unanswered goals to regain the lead before halftime.
 
Freshman Tony Sunagawa (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills High School) cut into the lead when he buried his first of the day. Haygood would add two more goals but the Bearcats would trail 11-7 going into the final period. Haygood netted two more goals to bring his total to five in the game. Krause added his first and Mahan scored two goals in the fourth period. McKendree mounted a comeback in the fourth period but ultimately came up short to fall 13-11.
 
The Bearcats return to the pool on Saturday, October 13 when they host the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division II Championship at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex.