Morgantown, WV - Mercyhurst men's water polo started off the month of November not quite the way they were hoping as they dropped a pair of games in the WWPA Conference Weekend. The Lakers saw host Salem to begin heir day and fell 24-11 before dropping their matchup with Gannon 16-10.

How it Happened

The Tigers wasted no time jumping out to a commanding lead in their game with Mercyhurst as they managed to hold a 10-3 lead at the end of the opening frame. It looked like the Lakers were going to be able to hold their own against their counterparts in the early going as a goal from Matej Kovacevic made it 4-2 midway through the period, but six unanswered goals helped Salem begin to put some distance between the two teams.

Salem's offense quieted down some in the second as they scored only five goals, but held Mercyhurst to one to help the Tigers take a 15-4 lead into halftime. Their offense picked back up in the third with seven goals before rounding out the game with two more in the fourth to help them make it a baker's dozen lead in the end. The Lakers did manage to outscore their opponents in the final frame, but it proved to be a moot point in the 24-11 final.

Mercyhurst hoped to grab a win in their second matchup, seeing Gannon, but failed to do so as the Golden Knights used solid efforts in the first and third periods to help them claim the win. Gannon jumped out in front with five goals in the opening frame to the Laker's two with freshmen Asher Jones and Kovacevic finding the back of the net. 

The Lakers managed to play their counterparts even in the second frame with goals from Jones, Teagan Thomas, Keller Sens, and Owen Hardner helping Mercyhurst go into halftime down only three. The Golden Knights came out of the halftime break as the aggressors as they built out their lead with them finding the back of the net four times compared to the Lakers once. It was a tightly contested final period of play as Mercyhurst hung around with Gannon, but could never overtake them as the fourth frame ended with both teams scoring three times apiece in the 16-10 decision.

Highlights

Asher Jones led the way for the Lakers in the two games with a total of nine points with him scoring six times while dishing out a trio of assists. He was followed by Owen Hardner who had seven points on four goals and three assists and Keller Sens who finished with five goals.

Next Game

Mercyhurst finishes out their time in West Virginia tomorrow morning as they are scheduled to take on McKendree at 9:00 a.m.