O'FALLON, Ill. – The men's water polo team made a statement day on all angles as they won their first WWPA matchup of the season, which came against Salem University, along with a victory over Ottawa University Arizona as part of the annual WWPA Bearcat Clash held at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex in O'Fallon, Illinois.
GAME ONE vs. Ottawa AZ
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 17, Ottawa University Arizona 15
Record: Bearcats 6-9, 0-0 WWPA | Spirit 4-10
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first game back at the Rec Plex this season was a tight one, where McKendree looked to turn things around since their time on the West Coast trip last weekend. Juniors center defender Yannick Robertson (St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago) and attacker Armand Le Goff (Reims, France) started out the Bearcats with a goal each to put the game at 2-2. With 11 seconds remaining in the first period, Robertson fired in a quick shot to give his squad their first lead of the day.
OUAZ drew first blood in the second quarter, but the Bearcats were right there to respond with a 4-2 run, as Robertson scored yet again for his team, earning himself the early hat-trick. McKendree would beat the buzzer once again before halftime, as sophomore utility Kevin Kehoe (Chicago, Ill.) found the back of the net with two ticks remaining to hold the 7-5 lead heading into the extended break.
The Spirit would start making a push at the beginning of half number two, tying it at eight midway through quarter number three, but the trio of Robertson, Kehoe, and senior utility James Ramey (St. Louis, Mo.) kept doing all they could to not succumb to their slight advantage, as they led by one heading into the final period of regulation.
Both teams went all out in the final eight minutes. The Spirit opened up with a goal, but another run by the Bearcats, this time a 4-1, would look to put the game away until OUAZ answered with a 3-1 to be down by just one. Ramey would come clutch with a goal in exactly three minutes left and take the 17-15 home win for the Bearcats.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Robertson led with five goals and rounded out with an assist, a drawn exclusion, and a steal, while Ramey followed closely with four goals, two exclusions drawn, and a trio of takeaways.
• Kehoe tied a season high with a pair of goals to go with an assist and a drawn exclusion.
• Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Gavin Haight (Jension, Mich.) was in the cage for all 32 minutes, as he came away with four saves and four steals.
• McKendree led the game in steals (12-11) and in assists (12-8).
GAME TWO vs. Salem
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 13, Salem University 9
Record: Bearcats 7-9, 1-0 WWPA | Tigers 9-9, 0-2 WWPA
HOW IT HAPPENED
McKendree aimed to keep their momentum going in their first WWPA conference matchup of the season on Senior Night against Salem. The Tigers controlled the tempo early with a 3-1 edge, but the Bearcats would not let the game get out of hand, as they answered with a 3-1 run of their own with the firepower of Ramey, Robertson, and Le Goff each contributing to the response to tie it at four at the end of the first quarter.
Four goals were scored in the first four minutes of period number two, with both sides, each dropping in a pair of such, with McKendree having their attackers, freshman Alexandros Prokopis (Palaio Faliro, Greece) and junior Rowan Daughtrey (Commerce City, Colo), contributing on the Bearcats' two.
With three minutes gone by without either side scoring, McKendree turned on the jets full-on with seven unanswered goals leading into the midst of the fourth period as Prokopis headlined the run with two scores of his own to put his squad up by seven. Salem notched in three more goals in the final minutes of play, but the Tigers could not match the McKendree offense, as the Bearcats would take their third straight win and move to 1-0 in conference play with a 13-9 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Daughtrey tied his career-high with three goals on four shot attempts.
• Robertson and Le Goff each finished with a pair of scoring possessions plus a drawn exclusion, as the latter also tallied an assist and two field blocks.
• Graduate goalkeeper Gennaro Pecoraro (Pesaro, Italy) was immense in the net, saving the ball 12 times and picking up a steal.
• This is McKendree's first win over the Tigers since November of 2022.
SENIOR NIGHT
Before McKendree's game against Salem, the program honored four individuals in attackers Quinten Gallagher (St. Louis, Mo.) and Kris Eyolfson (Winnipeg, Canada), and utilities Riccardo Vettore (Padua, Italy) and James Ramey (St. Louis, Mo.) as part of their Senior Night, as they gave their time and dedication in all their years at McKendree. Although their time at the institution may come to a close, they will forever be engraved as part of the Bearcat family.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the WWPA Bearcat Clash, as they take on Gannon at 11:40 AM CT, followed by closing out the event with Augustana College at 2:20 PM CT.
Both games will be streamed live and on-demand on the WWPA Network, as live stats will also be provided via The FOSH.
Make sure to keep up with McKendree University Water Polo on X (Twitter) and Instagram. #NCAAwaterpolo
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