ERIE, Pa. - The men's water polo team concluded their time at the WWPA Erie Classic by coming away with their second straight win led by a hot effort from junior James Ramey (St. Louis, Mo.) in non-conference action on Sunday, October 27th, at the Hallman Aquatics Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. 

Score: McKendree University 17, Mercyhurst University 10 

Record: Bearcats 2-14, 0-2 WWPA | Lakers 5-21, 0-12 MAWPC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams came into the matchup winning their last game prior, with both of them coming against Penn State Behrend. Ramey started his career day off on the right foot as he buried a shot into the net only 23 seconds into the start of the match. 11 seconds after, Mercyhurst junior Owen Hardner drew a penalty from the opposition and took advantage on the subsequent shot to tie up the game. The Bearcats would respond with leading scorer, sophomore Yannick Robertson (Trinidad and Tobago) notching in a goal to regain the lead, but the Lakers responded on their end from freshman Petar Vujovic to make it a tight game. McKendree went a little hot spurt that was initiated by senior Jespyn Bishop, who put in back-to-back goals and was followed by Robertson again, getting his second goal already. The final 30 seconds of the first quarter was electrifying on both sides as Mercyhurst sophomore Ben Gavran was able to sneak one in for his team, but a converted penalty shot by Bearcat freshman Joshua Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) with little time remaining gave his squad a 6-4 lead at the end of the first period of play. 

Ramey again opened up the quarter, scoring the first goal, this time in the second period and only 27 seconds in. The Lakers would answer by getting two goals in by Hardner and freshman Alessio Sampedro to cut their deficit to one. McKendree would take over the rest of the second quarter, tabbing in six straight scoring possessions that were conducted by a duo of Ramey and Gibson with the former connecting on four of them including three in a row, while the latter put inside the other two. That sequence would give the Bearcats a 13-6 lead heading into halftime. 

The pace of play would tone down a tad in the second half, as 13 seconds into the third period, Petar Vujovic would convert on his second goal of the game off a penalty shot. McKendree would then respond with the dynamic duo of Ramey and Gibson each tabbing in a goal to increase their lead once more. Sampedro would close out the third period of play with a scoring possession to still trail the match 15-8. 

It was a slow start to the final quarter until freshman Kevin Kehoe (Chicago, Ill.) slung in his first goal since October 5th against Fresno Pacific University. He was then followed up by Ramey, who got his eighth goal of the match to help seal the deal. Mercyhurst would tab in two more scoring possessions in the final minutes of regulation from Sampedro and senior JP Kirouac, but it would not be enough as the Bearcats would come out victorious 17-10. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Ramey was the player of the game by going an astonishing 8-11, making it his career high in goals scored to go along with an assist and three steals. He recorded nine goals in an exhibition win over Saddleback College on September 22nd, albeit that game does not officially count in the record books. 

• Gibson was also a factor in the win, notching four goals and an assist with a takeaway in the defensive end. Bishop and Robertson each contributed two goals with the former garnering two field blocks and the latter getting two steals and a drawn exclusion. 

• Sampedro was the most efficient for Mercyhurst, going 3-6 on shot attempts along with grabbing two steals. His teammates Petar Vujovic and Hardner each connected on two goals and a steal. 

• Fifth-year goalkeeper Jimmy Cronin (Naperville, Ill.) was inside the net for the Bearcats for the majority game, coming away with 10 saves in the victory. Junior Brayden Ogle (Clovis, Calif.) was in for a few minutes, tallying two saves. 

• On the other end, senior Laker Tony Golin was in the cage for his team and also contributed 10 saves with a steal. 

UP NEXT

McKendree will take a weekend off to prepare for the following week as they are set to host the annual WWPA Bearcat Clash on Saturday, November 9th where they will play in a round-robin format against visiting Gannon University and Salem University. All matches will be played at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex in O'Fallon, Illinois with the first game being the Bearcats against the Tigers at 9:00 AM CDT. 

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