ERIE, Pa. - McKendree University men's water polo opened Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference-West Region play here Saturday as the Bearcats picked up victories over Washington & Jefferson College and Mercyhurst University at the Hallman Aquatics Center on the Mercyhurst campus.

The Bearcats opened the day on Saturday with a 20-5 win over Washington & Jefferson and then earned a 14-6 win over Mercyhurst. With the two wins, McKendree improved to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in the MAWPC-West Region.

Against Washington & Jefferson, McKendree topped the 20 goal plateau for the second time this season as they scored 21 goals in a 21-12 win over Ottawa (Ariz.) at the Rare Air Challenge on the opening weekend of the season on Sept. 5. The Bearcats have now won 11 consecutive MAWPC-West Region games since suffering a 19-15 loss to Gannon (Pa.) to open league play in 2019. 

Complete statistics of the Washington & Jefferson were not available following the game.

Meanwhile, in the second game against Mercyhurst (0-9), the Bearcats were outshot, 25-24, but they outsccored Mercyhurst, 10-2 in the second and third periods to pick up the win. 

Eight different McKendree players scored at least one goal in Saturday's league opener, including senior attacker Nico Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia/Oviedo) scoring five goals in the win. In addition to Rodriguez, sophomore center Adam Serrano (Riverside, Calif./Poly) and graduate student utility player Michael Rojas (Cal, Colombia/Salem University) each had two goals.

McKendree scored the first two goals of the game as Rodriguez found the net just 97 seconds into the game and about two minutes later, senior attcker Josh Carlson (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way West) found the net to give McKendree a 2-0 lead. Mercyhurst would rally to score twice over the final 3:18 of the first period to tie things up at 2-all.

In the second period, McKendree scored four unanswered goals to take a 6-2 lead at the half, including Serrano scoring a goal right before the end of the half. 

Rodriguez would open the third period with two consecutive goals to give McKendree an 8-2 lead and after goals by Teagan Thomas and Michael Gutman cut the lead to 8-4, the Bearcats ended the period by scoring four straight goals to take a 12-4 lead into the fourth period. Rojas scored two of those goals, while Serrano and senior utility player Jackson Spencer (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West) added the other goal.

The teams each scored two goals in the fourth period to complete the scoring. 

Thomas and Kagen combined for five of Mercyhurst's six goals in the game. 

Fifth-year senior Ori Scanlon (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) played all 28 minutes in goal and collected six saves and allowed six goals, while Mercyhurst's Tony Golin also played the entire game in goal for the Lakers and allowed 14 goals and made five saves.

McKendree will conclude its three game trip to Mercyhurst on Sunday, Sept. 26 as they face Gannon (Pa.) in a 9 a.m. game at the Hallman Aquatic Center.