REDLANDS, Calif. — Mark Addison scored three times and goalkeeper Declan Hutton turned aside 11 shots as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)-East Region Champion/No. 10-ranked Augustana College overcame Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Eastern Champion/No. 8 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9-7, in the USA Water Polo Division III National Collegiate Championship hosted by the University of Redlands at the Thompson Aquatic Center.
Augustana, which fell at home to MIT by an 11-9 count in the 2023 USA Water Polo Division III Championship Third Place game, claims the program’s inaugural Top Three finish. MIT adds another Fourth Place mark to a history that includes Third Place finishes in 2019, 2022 and 2023 to accompany a prior fourth place finish in 2021.
MIT acquired the early lead in the game as Rick Lundh (So., Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Cathedral Catholic) put away a penalty shot 45 seconds into the game (7:15) to stake the Engineers to a 1-0 margin. Addison responded at 4:32 with an even-strength strike courtesy an assist from Oskar Bannister, but William Ewald (So., Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick) cashed in a feed from Andras Beleznay (So., Delray Beach, Fla./Saint Andrew’s School) with 2:10 on the clock to return MIT to the lead at 2-1.
Beleznay padded the spread to 3-1 at 1:04 off a helper from Kieran Kearns (So., Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes) prior to Stevan Rasic finding Ian Palmross to net a marker with four seconds left in the opening eight minutes to move the Vikings to within 3-2.
Alden Brinkmeier erased the Engineers’ lead with 4:58 left in the second quarter by burying an unassisted tally to balance the scoreboard at three-all.
Rasic gave Augustana its first lead at 4-3 by lobbing in a shot at 4:04. Addison cushioned the margin to 5-3 at 1:04 by utilizing a pass from Rasic to convert a man-up bid to cap off a 3-0 outburst by the Vikings in the second quarter.
Trailing 5-3 exiting halftime, MIT attempted to climb back into the contest as Adam Ivatorov (Jr., Rockaway, N.Y./Staten Island Technical) put away a pass from Derek Schaffer (Fr., Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) 29 seconds into the third quarter to inch the Engineers back to within one at 5-4.
The comeback was short-lived, however, as Tyler Leslie linked up with Ben Symington for a goal with 7:04 remaining in the frame to return a two-score lead to Augustana at 6-4.
MIT rallied back to tie the game at six-all as Kearns found Kunal Rajadhyax (So., Vernon Hills, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) for a strike at 6:19 prior to netting his own goal off an aide from goalkeeper Armaan Gill (Fr., Long Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) at 5:16.
Neither team dented the twine again until Colin McDowell lined in a shot at 2:05 to put Augustana back in front at 7-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
Rasic provided some breathing room to the Vikings by stroking home a shot off an assist from Palmross with 6:16 remaining in regulation to expand Augustana’s lead to 8-6.
Rajadhyax delivered a counterpoint, however, as he finished a pass from Schaffer at 5:52 to inch MIT back to within a single tally at 8-7.
Hutton prevented the Engineers from recording the equalizer by blocking a shot by Kearns prior to stoning Rajadhyax on a five-meter attempt to protect Augustana’s narrow lead.
Addison delivered the final blow as he rifled in a shot off an assist from Bannister with 2:57 to play for some insurance as the Vikings pulled ahead at 9-7.
A field block by Bannister and saves by Hutton on shots by Schaffer and Ewald helped the two-goal lead to stand-up down the stretch as Augustana claimed a 9-7 victory.
The Vikings – who shot nine-of-28 from the field and one-of-six on man-up bids – received offense from Addison (three goals), Rasic (two goals, two assists), Palmross (one goal, one assist), Brinkmeier (one goal), Leslie (one goal), McDowell (one goal), Symington (one assist), Bannister (one assist) and Hutton (one assist).
MIT – which shot seven-of-31 in the game with zero-for-four man-up and one-for-two penalty shot performances – was the recipient of offense from Rajadhyax (two goals), Kearns (one goal, two assists), Beleznay (one goal, one assist), Ewald (one goal), Ivatorov (one goal), Lundh (one goal), Schaffer (two assists) and Gill (one assist). Gill made four saves in cage with a game-high three steals.
