IRVINE, Calif. — George Washington University closed out a West Coast trip with a 2-2 record during the team’s opening weekend of collegiate club at the UCI Invitational hosted by the University of California-Irvine. The Revolutionaries downed Biola University, 16-13, and Division III No. 3-ranked the University of Redlands, 12-11, while falling to the No. 13/host Anteaters, 13-9, and No. 16 Loyola Marymount University, 15-12.
On Friday, August 29, GW started its season with a three-goal defeat of Biola to mark the fourth consecutive season that the Revolutionaries won their opening game.
George Washington jumped ahead quickly by blanking Biola 3-0 in the first quarter on their way to leading 7-3 at the midway point. Both offenses started clicking in the second half as each team netted five goals in the third quarter. GW kept the Eagles at bay over the final eight minutes of regulation in strutting to a 16-13 victory.
First-year goalkeeper Solt Horvath made his first career start in net, making seven saves in his college debut which included a shutout in his first quarter. GW was led offensively by junior attackers Antonio Florena (five goals, two assists) and Yam Kabakov (three goals, two assists). Sophomore attacker Austin Nelson dished out a team-high four assists.
A more difficult opponent awaited GW in Friday’s finale as the host Anteaters came in as the preseason No. 13-ranked team in college water polo.
A slow start put the Revolutionaries behind early, trailing 9-5 by halftime. GW battled to get within striking distance of UC-Irvine, closing the gap to a pair midway through the third quarter, but the experienced home side managed the game and clock on their way to a 13-9 win.
Andrea Forno paced GW with three goals and four exclusions drawn, while Florena passed out a team-high four assists.
The Revolutionaries were tested in Saturday’s opener on August 29 by Division III ranked Redlands.
After trailing early, GW came back to level the game at the end of the third quarter.
As the match came down to the wire, with the teams tied at 11-11 with under a minute remaining, GW leaned on newcomer Konstantinos Kapragkos, who netted the game winner with 46 seconds remaining.
Kapragkos led the way against the Bulldogs by scoring or assisting on half of GW’s goals (five goals, one assist). Nelson also played a big part in the attack with four assists.
GW had a quicker start versus its second ranked opponent of the weekend, going blow-for-blow against No. 16 Loyola Marymount in the first half. The Lions brought a slight edge over the Revolutionaries at halftime, leading 7-6, but a two-goal advantage in the third quarter created separation and a hole for GW that it was unable to climb out of to eventually falling by a 15-12 count.
Kapragkos kept his momentum to lead GW in points with three goals and one assist. Horvath made a weekend-high 13 saves in cage in trying to manage the Lions.
Information courtesy George Washington University Athletics Communications
