(ERIE, Penn., Nov. 10) – Seeking their second consecutive Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) West Region title, the Bearcats dropped a 15-14 overtime thriller against to the champion, Gannon University on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Bearcats conclude the season at 12-12 overall.
 
At the conclusion of the tournament, senior Joseph Mahan (Corinth, TX/John H Guyer High School) and sophomore Matthew Haygood (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills High School) were named to the First-Team All-Tournament team.
 
The Bearcats showed a consistent offense, scoring three goals in each regulation period. Gannon scored the first goal of the game to take an early lead. Juniors Pedro Osorio (San Bernardino, CA/Cajon High School) and Adrian Maher (Keller, TX/Keller High School) netted goals to push McKendree ahead 2-1. Both teams' alternated goals with sophomore Aaron Jacobs (Houston, TX/Jersey Village High School) scoring a goal as the game was tied 3-3 at the end of the opening period.
 
The second period was much of the same as both teams matched their scoring output of the first period. Mahan scored twice in the period and Jacobs added in his second goal of the game. McKendree and Gannon headed into halftime knotted at six.
 
Gannon came into the third period firing on all cylinders, scoring six times to open the second half. Senior Izaya Owotor (Portland, OR/David Douglas High School), junior Ben Brauer (Duisburg, Germany/Steinbart-Gymnasium Duisburg), and junior Andrew Serrano (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King High School) contributed scores for the Bearcats. The Golden Knights carried a 12-9 lead into the final period of play.
 
The McKendree defense stepped up, shutting out Gannon in the fourth period. Haygood scored twice and Osorio netted his second of the game to complete the comeback for the Bearcats. With the score even at 12, the two teams head into overtime seeking the MAWPC West title.
 
In the first overtime session, the Bearcats held Gannon to one goal while scoring twice themselves. Maher and Haygood found the back of the cage for McKendree to put the Bearcats ahead 14-13 heading into the final overtime period.
 
Gannon held the Bearcats scoreless in the second overtime period, and scored two goals to secure the MAWPC West Region title.
 
In the cage, junior goalie Ori Scanlon (Orlando, FL/Olympia High School) made 14 saves and added one steal.
 
The Bearcats outshot the Golden Knights 50-47 in the game, putting 37 of those shots on frame compared to Gannon's 29.