BRONX, N.Y. — The McKendree University men’s water polo team appeared on the verge of advancing to the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Fifth Place game as the squad led Wagner College by one goal late in the game. However, the Seahawks tied the game on a goal with six seconds left in regulation and then sealed a 15-14 come-from-behind victory with a goal with 1:40 left in overtime at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center on the Fordham University campus.
With the loss, McKendree, who falls to 7-19 on the season, will play in the Seventh Place game against Division III No. 8-ranked Johns Hopkins University at 10:30 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, November 20, while Wagner will meet the United States Naval Academy in the Fifth Place game scheduled at Noon Eastern.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Bearcats led 12-10 after outscoring the Seahawks, 4-3, in the third period to extend its 8-7 halftime lead to a two-goal advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Wagner pulled within one at 12-11 following a goal by Luis Camino Sosa just 42 seconds into the period.
The Bearcats, though, pushed its lead back to two goals at 13-11 following a goal at the seven minute mark by junior center/utility player Breno Tebet (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Golden West College). Wagner used a goal by Kristian Stanczewski to pull within 13-12 with 4:01 left in the frame.
McKendree pushed its lead to 14-12 following a goal by Tebet with 2:23 left in the game.
Wagner, though, would not go away as Oliver Fodor brought the Seahawks within 14-13 following his goal with 1:38 left, before Zsombor Gyemant tied the game on his goal with six seconds left in the game. Gyemant’s game tying goal come just 18 seconds after McKendree had turned the ball over.
After neither team scored in the first overtime period, Wagner was able to finally find the net with 1:40 left in the second overtime on a goal by Shaked Yacoby. The Bearcats had the ball in the overtime session looking for a tying goal, but McKendree turned the ball over with 23 seconds left to seal Wagner’s win.
Wagner jumped out to 6-5 lead after the opening period, after trailing 3-1 just three minutes into game. In the second quarter, McKendree got two goals from Tebet and a single goal from fifth-year senior attacker Nico Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia/Oviedo) to take an 8-7 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, Wagner scored two of the first three goals to tie the game at 9-all. Following Wagner’s run, Rodriguez and Tebet each scored goals for the Bearcats to take an 11-9 lead. Fodor would score with 44 seconds left to pull Wagner within a goal at 11-10, but fifth-year senior attacker Tony Sunagawa (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) scored with two seconds left to give McKendree a 12-10 lead.
Tebet led the way offensively for McKendree with six goals, while Rodriguez added four goals. Graduate student attacker Josh Carlson (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) and Sunagawa each scored two goals in the game.
Fodor led Wagner with five goals, while Sosa, Yacoby and Laszlo Strasser each had two goals for the Seahawks.
Junior goalie Jimmy Cronin (Naperville, Ill./Metea Valley) finished with eight saves, while Wagner goalie Matthew Sherry had six saves.
Release courtesy McKendree University Athletics Communications
