NEW YORK, N.Y – After defeating La Salle in Philadelphia on Friday, the Mercyhurst men's water polo team lost both of its games on Saturday at Fordham University. The Lakers lost 9-6 to the host Fordham in the morning and then 14-13 to Iona in the evening.
Fordham 9, Mercyhurst 6
Mercyhurst's offense struggled in their first match of the day against host Fordham. The Lakers managed just six goals in the match after scoring in double digits in their last three games.
The Lakers and Rams exchanged two goals each in the first quarter. With the scored tied at two in the second quarter, Fordham went on a two-goal run to take a 4-2 lead. Mercyhurst's
Alec Diaz stopped the bleeding to bring the Lakers back within one. Diaz then followed up with another score to tie the game 4-4. Before the end of the quarter, Fordham retook the lead with a goal, making the score 5-4 Fordham at the half.
The Rams rattled off two more goals in the third quarter to open up a three-goal lead.
Connor Schmitz scored for Mercyhurst to make it 7-5, but Fordham responded with two more goals to take a 9-5 lead.
Joey Ryan's goal with 22 seconds left in the quarter to cut the Rams lead to 9-6 going into the fourth quarter.
Both teams played to a scoreless draw in the fourth quarter. The Lakers took nine shots in the frame but five of those shots were blocked by the defense, three were saved by the Rams' goalkeeper Alex Jahns, and one shots went off the post, resulting in the 9-6 final.
Iona 14, Mercyhurst 13
The Lakers attack picked it up in the second game of the day, but it wasn't enough to defeat Iona and Mercyhurst lost a tight battle 14-13.
Mercyhurst got on the board first in the first quarter after an
Alec Diaz score.
Connor Schmitz then had a goal sandwiched between two Iona goals to make the score 2-2. The Gaels added two more before the quarter break to take the lead 4-2.
In the second quarter,
Ryan Witoslawski pulled the Lakers within one before Iona went on a three-goal run to open a 7-3 lead. Mercyhurst got its scoring total up to six with goals by Schmitz,
Alex Cappuccio, and
Matt Bachler, but the Gaels scored two more and led 9-6 at halftime.
Witoslawski answered Iona's first goal in the third quarter with a score to make it 10-7 Iona. Then
Jack Howe got in on the Laker scoring with his first of the match, followed by another Cappuccio tally to pull Mercyhurst back within one 10-9. Iona scored with 4:04 left in the third quarter to go back up two.
Philip Jenny and Schmitz countered with two goals to tie the game at 11 with 1:47 left, and that score would remain until the fourth quarter.
In the final period, the Lakers took the lead with 5:58 remaining after another Howe score. Iona roared right back with two goals to go back on top 13-12 just before Bachler tied the game once again with 3:03 remaining. Mercyhurst stole the ball on next Iona possession but failed to convert on the turnover and gave possession back to the Gaels. With 1:38 remaining, Iona scored a go-ahead goal to go up 14-13. After time-outs called by both squads, Jenny managed to get a shot off for Mercyhurst on its final possession, but it was stopped to conclude the game.
The Lakers (10-11) will play host to the CWPA Western Championships at the Prep-Villa Events Center starting on Nov. 5 to start their postseason schedule. More details on the Western Championships are to come.
