MONMOUTH, Ill. — The Mercyhurst University men’s water polo team wrapped up a 6-1 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)-Western Region slate to clinch the No. 2 seed for the upcoming championship on November 4-5 at the Hallman Aquatics Center in Erie as the Lakers took down host Monmouth College, 14-9, McKendree University, 14-13, and Salem International University, 16-15, on Saturday-Sunday, October 28-29.
On Saturday, October 28, the Lakers claimed victories over the Scots of Monmouth and the Bearcats of McKendree. to snap what had been a season-long four game skid entering the tournament.
Against Monmouth, Mercyhurst’s big quarter came in the second frame where they outscored Monmouth by a 5-1 count to take a 9-4 lead into halftime. The Scots cut the Mercyhurst lead to 11-7 after three quarters, but two early fourth-quarter goals by Alex Cappuccio put the Lakers in control until the final whistle.
Connor Schmitz filled the net with a team-high four goals on five shots. Philip Jenny and Matt Bachler also pitched in four-point efforts. Jenny scored two goals and two assists while Bachler had three helpers to go with one goal. Bachler and goaltender Andrew Too-A-Foo had five steals each.
Both teams had 32 shot attempts, but Mercyhurst notched a .438 team shooting-percentage to Monmouth’s .281.
Taking on McKendree, the Lakers received a huge individual effort from Jenny and held off McKendree for a one-point win.
Jenny scored seven goals to lead all players, including four goals in the fourth quarter after the Lakers trailed by two with 6:24 left.
He netted his goals on ten shots and drew two exclusions. He also picked up an assist and tied Daniel Alvarez for the team lead with five steals.
Bachler also had a solid game for the Lakers, picking up three goals and two assists.
Mercyhurst’s 23 steals proved to be a deciding factor in the game. Further, McKendree had a better shooting percentage at .481 compared to Mercyhurst’s .368, but the Lakers posted four man-up strikes to McKendree’s two.
Facing Salem International on Sunday, October 29, with the No. 2 seed on the line with the Lakers entering the game with a 5-1 mark to SIU’s 4-2 record, Mercyhurst manged to claim another one-goal win.
After the Lakers lead by three late in the second quarter, Salem was able to tie the game before halftime with three scores in the last 1:34.
Salem eventually took a one goal lead in the third quarter, but Mercyhurst went one a three-goal run of its own to take a 13-11 lead at the end of the quarter. Both teams traded goals from there, allowing the Lakers to come out with the narrow victory.
Schmitz once again led the way with a game-high five goals and one assist for Mercyhurst. Bachler also had a solid two-way game with four goals and four steals. Alvarez scored two goals with four assists and added three steals defensively.
Mercyhurst turned in another solid shooting effort, converting on 16-of-34 shot attempts for a .471 shooting percentage.
Release courtesy Mercyhurst University Athletics Communications
