Men's Water Polo | 11/18/2017 5:48:00 PM
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Mercyhurst men's water polo team came close to an upset of tournament host United States Naval Academy but fell short 9-8 in its second-round matchup in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championships Saturday afternoon.
It is the second-straight season the Lakers nearly upset the Midshipmen, as the Lakers fell 12-8 in last year's matchup at Bucknell.
The entire game was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading goals late in the second half.
Connor Schmitz scored his fourth goal of the game at 4:02 to tie the game 8-8. Navy responded with a go-ahead marker at 3:14.
The Lakers could not convert on its final possessions, which included a hit post by Schmitz, leading to the one point loss.
Andrew Too-A-Foo kept the Lakers in the game with 16 saves on 25 shots on goal. He also had a team-high eight steals.
Schmitz led Mercyhurst four goals on eight shots.
Daniel Alvarez scored twice, drew four exclusions, and added two steals.
Alec Diaz had two assists and five steals.
The Lakers' final game of the season will be against rival Gannon, which dropped its second-round matchup 14-11 to Johns Hopkins. These teams have met three times this season, with Gannon winning all three matches. Game time is set for 9 a.m. Sunday morning.
