ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's water polo team continued their 2026 season hosting the Laker Invitational. They battled in a tight matchup against Erie foe Gannon, but ultimately lost 23-16 to the Golden Knights.
 
The Lakers brought the heat to the pool in the first quarter, with Petar Vujovic providing the game's first goal. The Golden Knights were able to retaliate and score a goal of their own to make the game 1-1 with seven minutes to go. They continued to build off that momentum, scoring three more to break the tie. Aiden Botterilll got on the board for Mercyhurst, narrowing the Golden Knights' lead to two at the end of one.
 
In the second quarter, the Golden Knights continued their offense, scoring two goals within the first minute of the quarter. Declan Puacz put a halt to that scoring run with a goal, narrowing the Lakers' lead to three. Gannon responded with two more goals, pushing their lead back to five. Botterill and Puacz scored back-to-back for the Lakers, narrowing the lead to three. Gannon and Mercyhurst traded goals, with the Lakers' goal coming from Ben Gavran. Gannon scored another goal, taking a 10-6 lead into the half.
 
The Golden Knights began the quarter with a goal, further extending their lead back to five. Then, Vujovic scores his second goal of the game for Mercyhurst, keeping the Lakers in the game. He then scores another, giving him a hat trick on the day. Gannon was able to respond with a goal, but Mercyhurst negated that with a goal of their own coming from Vujovic yet again. The Golden Knights and Lakers traded goals yet again, with this one coming from Puacz, his third of the game, also giving him a hat trick. Gannon goes back-to-back, but that run is stopped by Vujovic scoring his fourth goal of the quarter. With one second left, the Golden Knights scored a goal to take a 16-11 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth quarter is opened with a goal coming from Puacz scoring his third, making him the third Laker on the day with a hat trick. The Golden Knights responded with two goals, pushing the lead back to six. Vujovic responds with his sixth goal of the day, giving the Lakers a chance to come back. Gannon responded with yet another two goals, further pushing their lead. Puacz, quickly scores his fourth goal of the day, making the game 20-14 with just under three minutes to go. The Golden Knights scored, but the Lakers responded with two goals of their own, with the first one coming from Vujovic scoring his seventh of the game, and Botterill scoring his third, making him the fourth Laker with a hat trick on the day. The Golden Knights scored two more goals to end the game with a 23-16 victory.
 
The Lakers will return to the pool for day two of the Laker Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26, when they face Penn State Behrend at 9 a.m. and Bucknell at 1 p.m. Fans who attend are encouraged to wear white for the second game against Bucknell.
 
View the 2026 schedule here.