CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Division III No. 5-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) men’s water polo team fell to Iona University, 11-10, and responded with a 14-8 defeat of Long Island University at home in the Zesiger Center Pool.
In the early game, Iona gained control in the first half as the Gaels carried a 7-1 margin into halftime.
First-year Matthew Pryce (Johannesburg, South Africa) scored at the 5:55 mark to jump-start the Engineers who outscored Iona 7-4 in the quarter. Pryce made it an 8-7 match at the 1:13 mark in the third quarter before first-year Rick Lundh (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) tied the match with 12 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Gaels found the back of the net with one second left in the third to regain the lead and added another score at the 6:27 mark of the fourth quarter to go up 10-8.
First-year William Ewald (Greenwich, Conn.) buried a goal with 3:47 remaining to get the Engineers back to within one at 10-9, but Iona once again scored to expand its lead back to a pair. Ewald scored his second goal of the quarter with 2:40 remaining to close within 11-10, but Iona held on for a one-goal victory.
Sophomore Adam Ivatorov (Rockaway, N.Y.) led MIT with four goals. In addition to his two goals, Ewald added a team-high four steals.
Graduate student Bo Tignol (Antwerp Belgium) posted a team-high three assists, while senior Colin Weaver (Huntington Beach, Calif.) finished with 16 saves.
MIT put a check in the win column facing Long Island to conclude the day of competition.
Ivatorov and Pryce scored first in the opening frame that saw MIT pull out to a 6-2 lead.
After LIU cut the MIT advantage to three, junior Jack King (Los Altos, Calif.) scored to give the Engineers a 7-3 lead into the half.
A 5-3 third quarter put the game away by building MIT’s lead to 12-6. Six different Engineers scored in the frame as the Engineers took the 14-8 win.
Pryce led the way with a hat trick and grabbed two steals.
Ivatorov, sophomore Luke Apostolides (Greenwich, Conn.), Tignol and Lundh all scored twice. Senior Alex Freedline (Miami, Fla.) and first-year Jackson Kay (Palo Alto, Calif.) also added goals.
Tignol dished out a team-high four assists. Ewald grabbed a team-leading four steals.
Weaver finished one steal and 15 saves.
Release courtesy Massachusetts Institute of Technology Athletics Communications
