LEBANON, Ill. — The McKendree University men’s water polo team closed out a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)-West Region weekend and the league regular season docket with a 18-3 victory over the Fighting Scots of Monmouth College.
The win pushes the Bearcats to 11-11 on the season as the team concludes the MAWPC-West regular season with a 3-3 mark to clinch the No. 4 seed for the upcoming MAWPC-West Championship at the Hallman Aquatics Center in Erie, Pa., on Saturday-Sunday, November 3-4.
McKendree was clicking on all cylinders as they opened the game on a 9-0 run. Junior Joseph Mahan (Corinth, Texas/John H Guyer) got it started with three goals in just over a minute. Freshman Nico Rodriguez (Winter Park, Fla./Oviedo), Jackson Spencer (O’Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West) and Kyle Moore (Whittier, Calif./La Habra High School) each netted a goal to give McKendree a 6-0 lead.
At the start of the second period, junior Michael Krause (St. Louis, Mo./Saint Louis University) buried a goal past the Monmouth goalie to continue the team’s hot start. Freshman Peter Germuska (Encinitas, Calif./La Cost Canyon) and junior Daniel Peralta (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood) contributed goals before the Fighting Scots finally got on the board.
Leading 9-1 at halftime, the Bearcats continued to pour it on as Mahan carried the momentum to the second half by adding his fourth goal of the game. Germuska and sophomore Abraham Allen (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) contributed goals to give McKendree a 12-2 lead going into the final eight minutes.
Freshman Aaron Jacobs (Houston, Texas/Jersey Village) jumped into the scoring column with his first goal of the morning as did junior Izaya Owotor (Portland, Ore./David Douglas). Moore gained his second of the match with five minutes to go in the quarter. Owotor extended the Bearcats’ lead with his second goal of the frame. Mahan closed the game with back to back goals.
In the cage, sophomore Ori Scanlon (Orlando, Fla./Olympia) allowed one goal and stopped seven shots while adding two steals in 16 minutes of play. Junior Marko Vucetic (Belgrade, Serbia/Redstar Academy) made five saves and allowed just one goal in eight minutes. Freshman Bryce Tully (Yucaipa, Calif./Yucaipa) played the final quarter and made two saves with one goal against.
Release courtesy McKendree University Athletics Communications
