CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Wagner men’s water polo team went 1-3 over the weekend at the Gary Troyer Tournament as the Seahawks dropped games to No. 13-ranked the University of California-Irvine, 21-10, Concordia University, 17-14, and California State University-Fullerton, 13-7, before handling Division III No. 4 Chapman University, 20-15.
Wagner began play at the Gary Troyer Tournament on Friday, October 3, against UC-Irvine at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College’s Axelrood Pool.
The Anteaters came out strong, jumping to a 6-2 lead in the opening quarter. Wagner’s early goals came from freshman Kelly Murphy and junior Vince Varga to keep the Seahawks within reach after the first eight minutes.
In the second frame, UC Irvine extended its lead with another six-goal burst. Freshman Landon Castillo scored with an assist from junior Gabe Johnson and freshman Nadav Carmon also found the net for Wagner, but the Green & White trailed 12-4 at halftime.
The Seahawks showed fight in the third quarter, trading goals with the Anteaters. Sophomore Matt Wedlock, Carmon and senior captain Laszlo Strasser all struck in the quarter.
In the final quarter, Wagner tallied three more goals — one from senior Ryan Kerry, one from junior Patrick Ray assisted by sophomore Matan Friedenberg and the final from Castillo, assisted by junior Maayan Nahari. However, UC Irvine closed the game with a 5-3 advantage to secure a 21-10 win.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ian Conway registered 13 saves.
The Seahawks put together a strong performance in its second game of the Gary Troyer Tournament on October 3 in falling to Concordia at Pomona-Pitzer College’s Haldeman Pool.
The opening frame was a back-and-forth battle. Both Carmon and Ray scored to give Wagner an early spark, then Strasser added a third on a five-meter attempt, but Concordia answered with three straight goals to carry a 4–3 edge after eight minutes of action.
The Seahawks tried to respond in the second quarter. Strasser scored early in the quarter, and Friedenberg added another to equalize the scoring, but the Eagles held a slim 5–2 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Concordia began to create separation but Wagner was able to keep the game close thanks to goals from Carmon and Strasser to trailing 13–9 heading into the fourth quarter.
The final eight minutes were tightly contested. Ray scored back-to-back goals, while Strasser added two of his own. Carmon also fired a late strike to bring Wagner within one but Concordia held firm in the closing minutes, converting on the power-play to lockdown a 17–14 win.
Conway anchored the defense with 10 saves.
The team faced a tough test on day two of the Gary Troyer Tournament, falling to Cal State Fullerton, 13–7, at Haldeman Pool in a matchup dominated by the Titans’ scoring surges.
Fullerton came out firing in the first quarter, jumping out to a quick lead Wagner was never able to fully erase. Wagner’s Strasser, Friedenberg and Murphy responded with critical goals to keep the Seahawks within reach.
In the second and third quarters, Fullerton continued its scoring but Wagner countered with contributions from Castillo and Strasser. Wagner made a final run in the fourth quarter. Strasser and freshman Jonah Aguilera showed resolve, but Fullerton kept pace the Seahawks in the final minutes to a six-goal victory.
Strasser (three), Castillo, Murphy, Friedenberg and Aguilera accounted for Wagner’s offense in support of Conway.
The team closed out its West Coast trip on a high note by defeating Chapman, 20–15, at Axelrood Pool in a back-and-forth offensive battle. The Seahawks used big scoring stretches in the first and third quarters to secure the win.
Wagner started off strong, scoring five times in the opening frame to grab momentum early and holding a one-goal cushion after the first quarter.
Chapman made its push in the second quarter but Wagner kept its edge behind goals from Ray and Castillo. At halftime, the Seahawks held an 11–6 lead.
Wagner then exploded to score six goals in eight minutes, turning a close contest into a commanding lead. Friedenberg kept up with a consistent pace, and Strasser was nearly unstoppable, notching multiple goals in the frame, while Castillo also joined in the scoring run. Wagner’s defense held Chapman to just six goals in the span, allowing the Seahawks to build a 17–12 lead heading into the final quarter.
Wagner matched the Panthers strike for strike in the closing eight minutes and finished with three goals in the quarter to acquire a five-goal win.
Castillo (five), Strasser (five), Carmon (two), Nahari (two) and Friedenberg (two) posted multi-goal games with Wedlock, Aguilera, Ray and Aksel Gerhardstein chipping in solo markers.
Information courtesy Wagner College Athletics Communications
