PRINCETON, N.J. — The George Washington University men’s water polo team split its opening-day matchups at the Princeton Mini hosted by No. 8-ranked Princeton University. The Revolutionaries, who were receiving votes in the national rankings, beat Long Island Universty, 13-9, in GW’s season opener, before falling to the host Tigers, 18-3, in the evening.
Facing the Sharks of Long Island, the Revolutionaries settled into the 2023 season nicely with a 13-9 win.
Senior Viktor Jovanovic led the way for GW with four goals and one assist, while junior Leo Lueddemann followed closely behind with three goals and one assist.
Senior goalkeeper Luca Castorina picked up right where he left off in 2022 and finished the game with 15 saves and a 62.5 save percentage.
Long Island, who lost 14-6 in its season opener to Princeton earlier in the day, scored twice within the first two minutes of the game. The Revolutionaries didn’t let the early deficit get to them and stormed back to take a 3-2 into the second quarter. LIU’s early conversions ended up being the only that Castorina and GW conceded in the first half, which allowed the Revolutionaries to open a 6-2 lead heading into the break.
GW continued to hold a four-goal lead as both teams scored twice in the third quarter, but a 5-0 Revolutionaries’ run to open the fourth quarter gave GW the separation it needed to seal the game. LIU made a push of its own with a four-goal run late in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the Sharks, as GW closed out its season-opening victory.
In the late game, the defending Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Champion/host Tigers of Princeton hit the ground running with a pair of early first-quarter goals and never looked back, defeating GW, 18-3.
Princeton controlled the first quarter, going up 6-2 in the opening frame, and held the advantage from that point on. The Tigers found ways to lock down the Revolutionaries’ offense, which had scored 13 goals earlier in the day, and held GW scoreless in the second and third quarters while building upon its lead.
Andrija Sekulic (two) and Jovanovic (one) were the goalscorers for GW.
Release courtesy George Washington University Athletics Communications
