ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's water polo team continued play at the Salem invitational as they played against Gannon and Salem. The Lakers lost both matches 28-13, and 16-13.
 
Game One
 
In the first quarter, Gannon opened up the scoring with seven consecutive goals, until that streak with broken up with a goal by Asher Jones. Ben Gavran scored another goal for the Lakers, narrowing the lead 7-2 to end the quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Mercyhurst opened up the scoring thanks to another goal coming from Gavran. The Golden Knights responded with a goal of their own immediately afterwards. Keller Sens responded with a goal to narrow the Golden Knights' lead back down to four. Gannon and Mercyhurst were exchanging goals back and forth, as Jones and Aiden Botterill scored goals to narrow the Gannon lead 9-6. The Golden Knights proceeded to score four consecutive goals, until Gavran scored with less than a minute left for the Lakers. Gavran tallied a first half hat trick to keep the Lakers in the match, trailing 13-7 going into halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Gannon kept the momentum going, scoring four consecutive goals to extend their lead. That came to an end when Botterill scored his second goal of the game, keeping the Lakers within reach. The Golden Knights kept tallying goals, until that streak was broken by Declan Puacz. Gavran scored his fourth goal of the game, to narrow the Gannon lead 20-10. However, Gannon scored three goals after that, extending their lead 23-10 entering the fourth.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers kept themselves in the match with goals from Puacz, Daniel Goldgisser and Botterill, who also notched a hat trick. The Golden Knights kept their momentum up, securing the victory 28-13.
 
Game Two
 
In the first quarter, Salem got on the board first with five consecutive goals. The Lakers halted their run with a goal of their own, coming from Asher Jones. The Tigers proceeded to go on a 3-0 run to end the quarter with an 8-1 lead.
 
In the second quarter, the Lakers started to find their groove by going on a 4-0 run to narrow the Salem led to three. Keller Sens and Jones scored two goals apiece.  Salem responded with a goal of their own, until Mercyhurst fought back with a goal from Aiden Botterill. The Tigers answered back, but Declan Puacz scored with eight seconds remaining, narrowing the Salem led to 10-7.
 
In the third quarter, Salem opened up with back-to-back goals to extend their 12-7 lead. Mercyhurst responded with a goal of their own from Ben Gavran. Mercyhurst continued to show fight in the match with additional goals from Gavran and Jones kept the Lakers close, trailing 13-10 entering the fourth.
 
In the fourth, the Tigers extended their lead with six consecutive goals. Mercyhurst responded with three goals from Jones, which gives him seven goals on the day. However, Salem held on to the lead, ensuring a 16-13 victory.

The Lakers continue play on Nov. 1 when they go up  MAWPC opponent against Mount St. Mary's on at 5:00 p.m.