BRIDGEPORT, W.V. – The men's water polo team picked up a monumental win over Gannon University to potentially clinch the WWPA East Region, as they dominated fellow Erie institution Mercyhurst University on day one of the Salem Invitational on Saturday, October 25th at The Bridge Sports Complex in Bridgeport, West Virginia.
GAME ONE vs. Gannon
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 19, Gannon University 16
Record: Bearcats 9-10, 2-1 WWPA | Golden Knights 9-9, 2-1 WWPA
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams went at each other in the early goings, where one of McKendree's leading scorers, junior attacker Armand Le Goff (Reims, France) drew first blood for either side, as their other tied leading scorer, junior center defender Yannick Robertson (St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago) responded after Gannon notched their first goal of the game. The Golden Knights would then reel off three straight before Le Goff connected on a power play shot as senior utility James Ramey (St. Louis, Mo.) notched his first of many goals to come in the matchup. Sophomore utility Joshua Gibson (Nassau, Bahamas) would convert on a five-meter penalty shot with 16 seconds remaining in period number one to tie the game at five apiece.
Ramey started the second quarter with goals on back-to-back possessions as both Le Goff and Robertson each contributed another score to their arsenal. Both teams would head to halftime with another five points in the period, with the match knotted up at 10-10.
The Bearcats would start to separate themselves from the opposition midway through the opening period of the second half with the team going on a 4-0 run, backed by freshman attacker Alexandros Prokopis (Palaio Faliro, Greece), who contributed on a pair.
A 3-0 spurt by McKendree to start the final period in regulation gave the squad a little more comfort room as Gannon utilized a 3-0 run of their own to pull within three with a little over three minutes to go. Like how it started, Le Goff was the one who ended it with a goal with 2:19 remaining to seal the conference win to up their chances of a one-seed in the East Region of the WWPA.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Le Goff and Ramey both led the way for McKendree with each netting five goals, as the former tallied three assists while the latter finished with a trio of steals.
• Gibson also earned himself a hat-trick in the game with three goals while Prokopis and Robertson each followed with a pair, as Prokopis also had two assists and two takeaways.
• The Bearcats won the steal battle, 12-9.
• The 44 McKendree shots are a season-high.
GAME TWO vs. Mercyhurst
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 20, Mercyhurst University 9
Record: Bearcats 10-10, 2-1 WWPA | Lakers 1-15, 0-6 MAWPC
HOW IT HAPPENED
It could not have been a hotter start for the Bearcats in the second game of day one on the invitational, as McKendree handled Mercyhurst with ease, as they opened the game with an 8-0 start, headlined by sophomore utility Kevin Kehoe (Chicago, Ill.) with two of such as the wealth was shared amongst the other six conversions.
The Lakers ended the first quarter with their game's first goal, and McKendree would keep their eyes on the prize as they began period number two with four straight scoring possesions, initiated by Le Goff with the first pair, as the team in purple and gold found themselves up 12-1.
Tempo would slow down for McKendree as the game progressed, where Mercyhurst it that as an advantage to close the large gap. With the lead still looming at nine points, McKendree's attackers in Le Goff and freshman Jayden Del Campo (Winnipeg, Canada) made use of a couple of consecutive power play goals to go back up by 11.
The Bearcats would tack on two more in the final minutes of regulation by the junior attackers Emiliano Martinez (Mexico City, Mexico) and Nathan Weintraub (San Antonio, Texas) would wrap up a dominating 20-9 win over a former conference foe in the Lakers.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Le Goff had another solid outing, this time with four goals and two assists, plus a steal as he shot 80.0% on the net.
• Freshman center Joaquin Vazquez (Chicago, Ill.) tied his career-high with three goals on five shot attempts.
• Senior attacker Kris Eyolfson (Winnipeg, Canada) followed with a pair of goals, plus an assist.
• Eight other Bearcats scored in the one-sided victory with each contributing one goal.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the Salem Invitational, as they take on Salem University at 7:00 AM CT, followed by closing out the event with Washington & Jefferson College at 11:00 AM 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
For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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