Pictured Above: Junior driver Oscar Nomura (Credit: Stew Mine)
Annapolis, MD – The Wagner men's water polo team opened the 2018 season by suffering losses to a pair of nationally-ranked programs at the Navy Fall Invitational on Saturday, dropping a hard-fought 15-14 decision to No. 18 George Washington in the opener, before falling by an 11-5 count to No. 13 Princeton in the evening finale.
The Seahawks will wrap up the two-day Navy Fall Invite on Sunday at 10:15 a.m. vs. Salem International.
No. 18 George Washington 15, No. 20 Wagner 14
The Green & White, who battled the Colonials throughout, trailed by one at the end of the opening quarter, 3-2. A pair of newcomers supplied the early offense for the Green & White in junior transfer utility
Lachlan Trabinger and
Vuk Bulajic, each notching their first career goals in the first eight minutes of play.
Senior captain and utility
Devin O'Donnell tied things up, 3-3, in the beginning of the second quarter. A pair of sophomore drivers in
Jordi Alonso and
Jasmin Kolasinac would each find the back of the net once in the second period to again knot the score, this time at 5-5 entering halftime.
Wagner outscored GW 6-4 in the third period in taking a 11-9 lead into the final stanza, led by junior driver
Oscar Nomura's two goals, while sophomore lefty
Jack Leighton, Kolasinac and Bulajic each added one goal apiece.
However, in the final eight minutes, the Colonials went on a 5-2 run in pulling out the 15-14 win.
In defeat, the Serbian duo of Kolasinac and Bulajic combined for six goals, registering a hat trick each.
Defensively, the Seahawks tallied 11 steals, while senior goalie
Cameron Woldt registered five blocks and one steal, while senior driver
Cole Grady and Kolasinac each came up with three steals.
No. 13 Princeton 11, No. 20 Wagner 5
Despite a strong defensive effort, highlighted by an eight-save effort by Woldt, as well as a team-high two goals by Nomura, the third-year Wagner men's water polo program suffered a 11-5 loss to the the 13th-ranked Princeton Tigers.
Alonso was the first member of the Green & White to register a goal followed by Kolasinac to give the Seahawks a 2-1 lead after the first period. The first half concluded in a 3-3 stalemate as the Seahawks battled against the Tigers on even terms for the first 16 minutes of play.
Nomura notched Wagner's lone goal of the third quarter as a 6-1 Tiger spurt made it a 9-4 game entering the fourth. Princeton then tallied the first wo goals of the final quarter to make it an 11-4 game lead with 4:53 left to play. Trabinger then capped the scoring off a five-meter penalty shot, in fashioning the final score at 11-5.
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