BALTIMORE, Md. — The Division III No. 7-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) water polo team defeated Connecticut College, 16-7, on the campus of Johns Hopkins University to conclude the Division III Eastern Championship with a 2-0 record and capture the Division III Eastern Championship for the second straight year. It’s the program’s 11th Division III Eastern title and earns the Engineers a bid to the USA Water Polo Division III National Championshi which will be held from December 7-8 in California.
The Engineers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Camels got to within one goal at the end of the first quarter.
Junior Adam Ivatorov (Rockaway, N.Y.) and sophomore William Ewald (Greenwich, Conn.) found the back of the net to put MIT up 5-2. Sophomore Rick Lundh (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) made it a 6-3 match, and sophomore Andras Beleznay (Delray Beach, Fla.) put the Engineers up by four with a goal with 57 seconds left. Connecticut got a goal with 25 seconds left to make it a 7-4 match at half.
The Camels scored at 6:37 in the third to make it a two-goal game, but the Engineers went on five-goal run to pull ahead 12-5, but Connecticut got one back at the end of the third quarter to make it a 12-6 game.
Sophomore Kunal Rajadhyax (Vernon Hills, Ill.) opened the scoring for MIT in the fourth as the Engineers outscored the Camels 4-1 in the final quarter.
Lundh led the way with five goals and Ivatorov netted four. Rajadhyax finished with two scores.
Sophomore Kieran Kearns (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) led MIT with three assists and three steals.
First year Joshua Woren (Aurora, Calif.) made five saves in the first half, while classmate Armaan Gill (Long Grove, Ill.) made two stops in the second half
Release courtesy Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Athletics Communications
