CLAREMONT/LA VERNE, Calif. — The Wagner College men’s water polo team went 2-2 at the University of La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges during the 2023 Gary Troyer Tournament by taking down Division III No. 9 La Verne, 18-9, and Division III No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer, 11-6, while falling to No. 16 California Baptist University, 18-11, and Division III No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 11-9.
On Friday, September 29, Wagner opened the tournament versus Cal Baptist at Pomona-Pitzer’s Haldeman Pool.
The Seahawks trailed 7-2 after the first frame of play. Sophomore Laszlo Strasser was responsible for both goals for the Green & White. Wagner battled back in the second quarter, scoring the final three goals of the half. Senior Barnabas Vidovics added two of his own goals during the period. Senior Zsombor Gyemant, freshman Maayan Nahari and graduate student Ben Zovickian also tallied their first of the weekend during the second quarter.
Wagner and CBU both scored two goals during the third quarter. Strasser put away his third of the contest, while Gyemant scored his second as the Seahawks trailed 15-9 heading into the final frame of play. In the fourth, Strasser and Gyemant both find themselves with one more goal before the end of play.
The day concluded versus the top-ranked team in Division III as Wagner held a 4-2 lead after one quarter of play at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Strasser started off hot with two goals in the initial frame, Gyemant also added his name to the scoresheet, while senior Ryan Lanier scored his first of the weekend halfway through the first. Wagner and CMS traded a pair of goals during the second quarter. Gyemant netted his second of the game, and freshman Vince Varga scored late in the half, to bring Wagner’s lead to 6-4.
In the third quarter, Strasser scored two more goals for the Seahawks, bringing his game total to four for the second straight game. Wagner and CMS would be tied, 8-8, heading into the final frame of play. In the fourth, Lanier found the back of the net for his second of the contest.
The Seahawks’ luck changed on Saturday, September 30, as the team collected a pair of victories.
Taking on host La Verne in the first contest of the day, Wagner poured in seven goals during the opening quarter. Juniors Kyle Chambers and Mattia Bognolo scored their first goals of the weekend in the first quarter to accompany tallies by Strasser, Varga and three from Gyemant.
The Seahawks outscored La Verne in the second quarter, 4-3, as Vidovics putting away a shot along with Gyemant finding his fourth goal, and Strasser his second, bringing Wagner’s halftime lead to 11-5.
Wagner scored three goals in the third quarter.
Zovickian opened the scoring for the Seahawks, while sophomore Eliot Alvarez netted two goals less than a minute apart to end the third quarter at stake Wagner to a 14-6 lead.
Varga scored three goals in the final frame alone, bringing his game total to four. Junior captain Andrew Cowie also chipped in a goal as the Seahawks rolled to a nine-goal win.
In the weekend final at Pomona-Pitzer, the Seahawks trailed 2-1 after the first frame. Gyemant continued his scoring with a long goal in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Wagner shared the wealth as Strasser, Zovickian, Vidovics and Lanier outscored Pomona-Pitzer 4-0, to gain a 5-2 lead heading into halftime.
Wagner and Pomona-Pitzer both tallied three goals in the third quarter. Bognolo, Cowie, and junior Luis Camino Sosa were responsible for granting Wagner a 8-5 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Wagner scored another three goals in the final frame, two coming from Bognolo and one from Alvarez. Bognolo finshed with a hat-trick, as Wagner rolled to a five-goal win.
Over the course of the weekend, graduate student Djordje Stoiljkovic spent 104 minutes in goal for the Green & White. The Serbian native totaled 34 saves over four games. Senior Kevin Roach spent three quarters in goal against La Verne, saving 10 shots during the contest.
Release courtesy Wagner College Athletics Communications
