(ERIE, Penn., Sept. 29) – The McKendree University water polo team traveled to Pennsylvania to play a slew of games on Saturday. The Bearcats would play Penn State-Behrend, Salem University and Mt. San Antonio College. The Bearcats beat Penn State 15-6 in game one, fell to Salem 13-9 in game two, and in the third game, fell to Mt. San Antonio by the score of 15-14.
 
Game 1
McKendree jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals by freshman Adrian Maher () and Nico Rodriguez (Winter Park, FL/Oviedo High School). Maher would score his second of the game to give the Bearcats a 3-1 lead. Sophomore Abraham Allen (Webster Groves, MO/Webster Groves High School) and Rodriguez would put the ball in the back of the cage to give McKendree a 5-2 lead after the first period.
 
Freshman Kyle Moore (Whittier, CA/La Habra High School) jumped in one the scoring to add to the lead. Maher would score his third of the game to give the Bearcats a 7-3 lead at the end of the half.
 
Maher couldn't be stopped as he scored four goals in the third period. Junior Daniel Peralta (Lakewood, CA/Lakewood High School) wouldn't be left out of the scoring column as he netted his first goal. Junior Robert Esson (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach High School) and freshman Brad Nelms (Lake Forest, CA/El Toro High School) added to the McKendree lead as they would go into the final period ahead by the score of 14-4.
 
Allen would score two more goals in the final period as McKendree would win 16-5 over the Lions of Penn State-Behrend.
 
Game 2
Junior Joseph Mahan (Corinth, TX/John H Guyer High School) scored McKendree's first goal they he tied the game at one. Junior Izaya Owotor (Portland, OR/David Douglas High School) would add another in the period but the Bearcats would trail 5-2 after the first eight minutes of play.
 
Freshman Ben Brauer (Duisburg, Germany/Steinbart-Gymnasium Duisburg) and Matthew Haywood would add a goal apiece to chip into the Salem lead. Owotor and Mahan would score their second goals but Salem would hold a 7-6 lead heading into halftime.
 
Allen scored the lone goal for the Bearcats in the third period and they would trail 11-7 going into the fourth period.
 
Brauer and Allen each netted their second goals of the game but McKendree would fall 13-9 to Salem University.
 
Game 3
Freshman Tony Sunagawa (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills High School) scored his first goal of the day in the first period. Mahan and Brauer each contributed a goal but McKendree would trail 4-3 after the opening period.
 
Junior Michael Krause (St. Louis, MO/Saint Louis University High School) put his first ball in the back of the cage to chip into the Mountie lead. Mahan would score two more goals and Brauer would get his second as the Bearcats tied the game at eight heading into halftime.
 
Freshman Jackson Spencer (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt West) jumped in on the scoring as he would get his first of the day. Haygood poured in two more goals but the Bearcats would trail 12-11 going into the last period.
 
Freshman Aaron Jacobs (Houston, TX/Jersey Village High School) got his first goal of the day in the final period. Spencer netted his second goal of the day and Haygood would get his fourth but it wouldn't be enough as McKendree fell 15-14 to Mt. San Antonio College.
 
"Today was a true test of both our mental and physical stamina. Playing five games in less than nine hours with four of those being with no rest in between is a big ask and I am really proud of the guys for putting in full effort throughout the day," said McKendree head coach Colleen Lischwe. "That being said, we know that our bodies are capable of being pushed to exhaustion and if we correct some small errors as a result of our mental exhaustion, I think we can enter the second half of the season with a lot more success."
 
The McKendree water polo team will return to the water next Thursday as they compete in the Gary Troyer Invite in California.