CARLISLE, Pa. — Player of the Game Nicky Borden (Jr., Danville, Calif.) scored four times to lead the way for Florida Division Champion/No. 11-ranked the University of Florida as the Gators chomped their way to a 21-7 victory over Atlantic Division Third Place finisher Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) at the Carlisle YMCA Aquatic Center in claiming Seventh Place at the 2025 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
The Gators – who previously posted marks of Eighth (2000), Third (2001), 11th (2002), Ninth (2003), Fourth (2008), 13th (2009), Third (2011), 12th (2017), 10th (2018), Sixth (2019), 10th (2022), Second (2024) and Sixth (2024) at the National Collegiate Club Championship – built a 4-0 lead with 6:05 left in the first quarter and never looked back in topping the Hokies.
Florida – which posted 3-0, 7-2, 7-3 and 4-2 scoring advantages in the first-to-fourth quarters, respectively – exploited advantage opportunities to take down Virginia Tech by cashing in on 12-of-17 opportunities.
For the Gators, Graham Donnelly (Fr., Boca Raton, Fla.) and Alex Ionescu (Fr., San Diego, Calif.) joined Borden in posting hat-tricks with three goals, while Mateo Friedman-Bello (Sr., Orlando, Fla.), Dylan Umpierre (Sr., Orlando, Fla.), Brian Kent (Gr., Atlanta, Georgia) and Micah Bayle (Sr., Hudsonville, Mich.) tacked on pairs of tallies. Tamas Kereszy (Gr., Pompano Beach, Fla.), Tristan Tazi-Sidqui (Fr., Miami, Fla.) and Tristan Hollon-Brooks (Gr., Marietta, Georgia) registered solo strikes to support a combined nine save performance by goalkeepers Leo Isom (Jr., Miami, Fla.) (four) and Logan Mazor (Gr., Hollywood, Fla.) (five).
Virginia Tech – which was a late entry to the championship field following the inability of Atlantic Division Champion the University of Virginia and runner-up the United States Naval Academy to compete – adds an Eighth Place finish to the squad’s legacy for the program’s inaugural Top 10 finish at the National Collegiate Club Championship following prior marks of 11th (2006), 12th (2009), 13th (2016) and 15th (2007, 2018).
Owen Fritz (Lansdale, Pa.) scored twice for the Hokies with Tim Schwar (Lansdale, Pa.), Ethan Eberly (Bridgewater, Va.), Max Pagon (San Diego, Calif.), Peter Janowicz (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Tyson Souder (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) each notching lone markers.
In cage, Souder (six) combined with Thomas Bibeau (Virginia Beach, Va.) (two) to make eight saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | 7 |
| No. 11 University of Florida | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 | – | 21 |
| Florida Goals: | Nicky Borden (4); Graham Donnelly (3); Alex Ionescu (3); Mateo Friedman-Bello (2); Dylan Umpierre (2); Brian Kent (2); Micah Bayle (2); Tamas Kereszy; Tristan Tazi-Sidqui; Tristan Hollon-Brooks | |||||
| Virginia Tech Goals: | Owen Fritz (2); Tim Schwar; Ethan Eberly; Max Pagon; Peter Janowicz; Tyson Souder | |||||
| Saves: | Florida – Logan Mazor (5, 14 minutes), Leo Isom (4, 14 minutes) ; Virginia Tech – Thomas Bibeau (2, 14 minutes), Tyson Souder (6, 14 minutes) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Florida – 7 ; Virginia Tech – 17 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Florida – 12-for-17 ; Virginia Tech – 1-for-7 | |||||
| Sprints: | Florida – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; Virginia Tech – 1-for-4 (2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Kevin Jauregui, Geoff Deasey | |||||
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University’s Tyson Souder (#1)
The University of Florida’s Alex Ionescu (#14) & Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University’s Peter Janowicz (#9)
University of Florida’s Tristan Tazi-Sidqui (#1B)
