Connecticut College-vs.-Penn State Behrend Scoresheet
BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — Player of the Game Andre Sardaryzadeh (Sr., Murrieta, Calif./Elsinore) notched six goals as Penn State Behrend overcame a 5-4 deficit in the first quarter to best Connecticut College, 12-7, in the 2019 Division III Eastern Championship Third Place game at Chartiers Valley High School.
The Lions (6-9) of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) outscored the Camels (4-9) of the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)-West Region 2-0, 3-2 and 3-0 over the duration of the second, third and fourth quarters, respectively, to rally back and claim a five-goal victory.
Penn State Behrend appeared primed to run away with the contest in the opening moments of action as Sardaryzadeh (6:40, 4:57) sandwiched a score by Austin Hoff (Sr., Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) at 6:16 to provide the Lions with a 3-0 lead.
However, the Camels went on their own 3-0 run as Arturo Freitas (Sr., Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) lined in a man-up chance (4:41), Mike Gertsik (So., Brooklyn, N.Y./Leon M. Goldstein) connected on a five-meter penalty shot (3:55) and freshman Christian Jacobsen put away a natural tally (3:03) to deadlock the teams at three-all.
Penn State Behrend regained the lead as Hoff cashed in on a man-up opportunity at 1:53, but Lucas Verrilli (So., Evanston, Ill./Evanston) responded in kind by notching a power-play point at 1:30 to make it four-all.
Connecticut earned its only lead of the game with under a minute to play in the first quarter as Gertsik hammered home another penalty shot with 58 ticks on the clock to stake the Camels to a 5-4 scoreboard advantage after eight minutes of action.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Sardaryzadeh rifled in even-strength bids at 4:03 and 1:09 of the second quarter to put the Lions ahead 6-5 at the halftime break.
Freitas pulled Connecticut even 21 seconds into the third quarter by finding the back of the cage with a sinking shot at the 7:39 mark, but Isaak Hatopp (Sr., Saline, Mich./Saline) heaved in back-to-back man-up shots at 6:56 and 6:27 to provide Penn State Behrend an 8-6 lead.
Connecticut chipped its deficit down to one at 8-7 as Freitas stroked in an even-strength shot at 6:06, but Jacob Harkins (Fr., Hollywood, Fla./Saint Thomas Aquinas) padded the margin back to a pair at 9-7 (1:03) to provide Penn State Behrend a two-goal spread heading into the final eight minutes of regulation.
The final moments of the game, similar to the second quarter, belonged exclusively to the Lions as Sardaryzadeh (7:27, 1:41) and Hatopp (7:06) combined for back-to-back-to-back strikes, while goalie Matt Olimski (Jr., San Diego, Calif./Otay Ranch) blanked the Camels on defense.
For Penn State Behrend, Hatopp joined Sardaryzadeh in posting a hat-trick or better while Hoff (two) and Harkins (one) accounted for the Lions’ other three scores. In cage, Olimski made 10 saves – including two in the second quarter and three in the fourth quarter to keep Connecticut off the scoreboard in both frames.
Freitas led the way for the Camels with three goals, while Gertsik added a pair. Jacobsen and Verrilli both tacked on solo markers with goalie Tanner Michaelis (Jr., Ramona, Calif./Ramona) stopping five shots in taking the loss.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Penn State Behrend (6-9) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | – | 12 |
| Connecticut College (4-9) | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 7 |
| Connecticut Goals: | Arturo Freitas (3); Mike Gertsik (2); Christian Jacobsen; Lucas Verrilli | |||||
| Penn State Behrend Goals: | Andrew Sardaryzadeh (6); Isaak Hatopp (3); Austin Hoff (2); Jacob Harkins | |||||
| Saves: | Connecticut – Tanner Michaelis (5) ; Penn State Behrend – Matt Olimski (10) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Connecticut – 8 ; Penn State Behrend – 13 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Connecticut – 4-for-13 ; Penn State Behrend – 3-for-8 | |||||
| Sprints: | Connecticut – 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th) ; Penn State Behrend – 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Penn State Behrend – YC (Head coach Joe Tristan, six seconds left in 3rd Q); YCRC (Head coach Joe Tristan, end of 3rd Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Andy Mattson; Brandon Nicholson | |||||
Penn State Behrend’s Matt Olimski (#1)
Connecticut College’s Mike Gertsik (#12) looks to pass as Penn State Behrend’s Austin Hoff (#5) defends
Penn State Behrend’s Isaak Hagopp (#6) drives past Connecticut College’s Christian Jacobsen (#21)
