Lebanon, Ill. - Mercyhurst men's water polo began their run in the WWPA Conference Championships Friday afternoon with the team falling to Biola. The Laker's counterpart came out strong in the opening frame, securing a 5-2 lead before going on to claim the 25-6 win.

How it Happened

The Lakers were able to get on the board first thanks to a goal from freshman Keller Sens in the opening 30 seconds of the match, helping give Mercyhurst some momentum. Biola did not allow Mercyhurst's lead to go any further than that, though, as they rattled off five straight goals with the final making it 5-1 with just under four minutes to go in the first. Mercyhurst managed to get on the board one more time in opening period of play as Sens dented the twine for a second time.

The Lakers had their best offensive frame of the game in the second with a trio of goals finding their way into the net. It was Teagan Thomas who got things started off for Mercyhurst with his goal snapping four unanswered by Biola. Owen Hardner found his rhythm in the final two minutes of action in the opening half with a pair of goals. Their work, however, did not keep the Lakers from going into the halftime break down as the scoreboard read 11-5 in favor of Biola.

The third quarter is where Biola began to put some real distance between themselves and the Lakers. They came out and scored the first seven goals of the period before Hardner recorded the hat trick with his third goal of the game at the 2:24 mark of the period. His efforts did little to help Mercyhurst keep pace, going into the final frame down 20-6 before an uneventful fourth quarter.

Highlights

Owen Hardner led the way for the Lakers in goals with a trio on the day. He was joined by Keller Sons with multiple goals as the freshman had two while Teagan Thomas had the sixth goal for Mercyhurst. 

Next Game

Mercyhurst now moves to the consolation bracket of the tournament and will compete again tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. while they still await their opponent.