Lewisburg, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's water polo team matched up against Mount St. Mary's (Md.) in a hard-fought battle. The Lakers fell short 13-9 to the Mountaineers.
 
In the first quarter, the Mountaineers opened up with a 2-0 lead, but that changed when Declan Puacz got on the board for the Lakers. Mount St. Mary's countered with two more goals, but Keller Sens scored with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. The Lakers trailed 3-2 at the end of the first.
 
In the second quarter, the Lakers tied the game at three within the first minute thanks to Ben Gavran. However, the Mountaineers scored five consecutive goals, giving them an 8-3 lead at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Aiden Botterill got on the board for Mercyhurst, cutting the deficit to four. Mount St. Mary's proceeded to score three more goals, extending their lead to 11-4.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers found their offense, outscoring the Mountaineers 5-2. Back-to-back goals from Daniel Goldgisser and Sens helped cut the Mountaineers' lead 12-6. After another goal from Mount St. Mary's, Mercyhurst's Nate Cheney got on the board to cut the deficit to six with less than two and a half minutes left. Goldgisser scored his second goal of the game and Sens scored his third, giving him a hat trick. Despite the late efforts from Mercyhurst, Mount St. Mary held on to the lead, securing a 13-9 victory.
 
The Lakers return to action on Saturday, Oct. 18 when they play Navy at 9:00 a.m. and Augustana at 3:00 p.m. in Erie, Pa.