SALEM, W. Va. – The Mercyhust men's water polo team continued their season when they competed at day two of the Salem Invtational. Taking on Washington and Jefferson, the Lakers were able to obtain their first victory of the season, with four Lakers scoring a hat-trick.
 
In the first quarter, Mercyhurst got on the board first with a goal coming from Ben Gavran. Petar Vujovic continued the flow of offense, getting a goal of his own. Asher Jones also got on the board, further extending the lead for the Lakers. Cooper Venneman scores with the assist coming from Jones. The Presidents responded with back-to-back goals, but Mercyhurst led 4-2 going into the second.
 
The Lakers began the second quarter by scoring three goals. The first goal came from Jones with Vujovic assisting. The second goal came from Ethan Green, which was assisted by Constantine Romanov. The third goal came from Gavran scoring his second of the game, extending the Lakers lead by five with just under five minutes to go. The Presidents scored three goals, but they trailed 7-5 going into halftime.
 
Mercyhurst began the third quarter with Vujovic scoring back-to-back goals, giving him a hat-trick on the day. The Presidents were able to respond with a powerplay goal with about five minutes to go. Green scores on the powerplay for the Lakers, tallying his second of the day. Caden Stover gets on the board for the Lakers, pushing the Lakers' lead back to five. Mercyhurst took a 11-6 lead heading into the fourth.
 
Going into the fourth quarter, the Lakers scored three goals to open up the period. The first goal came from a penalty shot from Green, also giving him a hat trick on the day. The second goal of this run came from Declan Puacz. Peter Bodoki scored the third goal, further pushing the lead by eight. The Presidents scored a goal of their own with just under four minutes to go. They then proceed to score a powerplay goal, narrowing their lead back to six. In a span of thirty seconds, Gavran scores yet another goal, which was assisted by Jones. The Presidents quickly respond before Jones scores another for Mercyhurst, which was assisted by Gavran. The Lakers went on and won 16-9.
 
The Lakers will return to the pool when they compete at the Bucknell Invitational. They will play a doubleheader on Saturday, Sep. 19 when they face MIT and Fordham.
 
Check out the 2026 schedule here.