Morgantown, WV – The Wagner men's water polo team earned two victories at the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) crossover on Saturday.
The Seahawks earned a 19-6 victory over Mercyhurst before defeating McKendree 16-9.
Wagner (19) vs. Mercyhurst (6)
The Seahawks put a stamp on the contest when they outscored the Lakers 7-2 in the opening frame. Wagner was able to jump out to a 4-0 lead within the first 2:36 of the contest. Senior Olivér Fodor opened the scoring with two quick goals before junior Zsombor Gyémánt and freshman
Laszlo Strasser scored to catapult the 4-0 run.
Wagner continued applying the pressure in the second quarter as they outscored Mercyhurst 7-0 behind six different goal scorers. The Seahawks took a 14-2 lead into halftime.
With a insurmountable lead heading into the second half, Wagner outscored Mercyhurst 5-4 in the final 16 minutes to preserve the victory in the opening game of the weekend.
Olivér Fodor led the attack for Wagner with four goals as
Laszlo Strasser chipped in a hat trick to go along with three assists. Sophomore goalkeepers
Adam Wuthrich and
Vaughn Bui combined to make five saves in one half each in goal.
Wagner (16) vs. McKendree (9)
This is the second time Wagner has faced off against McKendree this season as Wagner earned a 14-9 victory on September 17 at the Bucknell Invitational.
The second game of the day began the same way as the first as Wagner jumped out to a big lead early in the contest. With the game tied 1-1, the Seahawks rattled off four straight goals to take a 5-1 lead. Wagner added two more in the frame to take a 7-2 lead heading to the second quarter.
Wagner carried its momentum into the second quarter as they outscored McKendree 6-1 to take a 13-3 lead into halftime.
In the second half, McKendree outscored Wagner 6-3 but the lead Wagner built in the first half was too much for McKendree to overcome as Wagner came away with the victory.
Olivér Fodor picked up where he left off in the first game of the day with four goals while
Laszlo Strasser picked up his second hat trick of the day. Sophomore
Mattia Bognolo also tallied a hat trick in the victory for Wagner.
Adam Wuthrich stopped six shots in the first half for Wagner and was replaced by freshman
Matthew Sherry. Sherry stopped five shots in the second half.
The two victories give Wagner its first three-game winning streak of season and the first of the
Josh Hower tenure at Wagner.
Wagner will conclude its weekend in West Virginia on Sunday, October 9 when they take on the hosts Salem at 10:20 A.M. and Gannon at 2:20 P.M.
