Cambridge, MA & Providence, RI – The Wagner men's water polo team opened the 2025 season with four contests at the Bruno Classic this weekend, finishing the tournament with a 2-2 record.
The Seahawks collected victories over LIU and MIT, while falling to nationally-ranked Brown and Harvard.
Game 1 Results: Wagner 13 – LIU 5
Wagner came out firing in their opener against LIU, taking a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter behind goals from freshman
Landon Castillo, sophomore
Matt Wedlock and junior
Maayan Nahari. LIU pulled within one at 3-2, but shortly after the beginning of the second quarter, the Sharks tied the Seahawks 3-3. The Seahawks scored two more times to keep the game 5-3 at halftime.
The Green & White's defense clamped down from there, holding LIU to just two goals the rest of the way. Sophomore
Matan Friedenberg and Strasser, each struck in the third quarter, while freshman
Nadav Carmon delivered three goals and Castillo, Friedenberg and Askel Gerhardstein scored one goal each in the fourth, to put the game away. Wagner outscored the Sharks in the final frame to seal a 13-5 victory.
Goals: Carmon (3), Castillo (2), Ray (2), Strasser (2), Murphy, Wedlock, Gerhardstein, Nahari
Game 2 Results: Wagner 9 – Brown 19
Facing nationally ranked Brown in Providence, Wagner found themselves in an early hole as the Bears jumped out to a 6-3 first-quarter lead. Junior
Vince Varga tallied once in the opening period, while Carmon helped him scoring another goal to keep pace.
Brown's offense continued to surge in the second, outscoring Wagner 6-1 to take a 12-4 advantage at the half. Friedenberg provided a bright spot in the third quarter, tacking on two goals. Sophomore
Smith Connors added a pair of goals, including one in the final frame, but Brown's balanced scoring attack proved too much as Wagner fell 19-9.
Goals: Varga (3), Carmon (2), Connors (2), Friedenberg (2)
Game 3 Results: Wagner 15 – MIT 13
Sunday morning saw Wagner in a tight contest against MIT. The Seahawks held a 3-3 draw after the first quarter and carried an 8-7 lead into halftime behind goals from Murphy, Carmon, Connors, Strasser and junior
Patrick Ray.
MIT surged in the third, where both teams scored 4 goals to take advantage into the final frame. The Seahawks scored four fourth-quarter goals. Castillo tied the game early in the period, with the help of Strasser's goal which pushed Wagner back in front, and strong late finishes again from Castillo securing another three goals that lead the team for the 15-13 win.
Goals: Strasser (4), Castillo (3), Carmon (3), Connors (2), Aguilera (2), Murphy
Game 4 Results: Wagner 9 – Harvard 13
The Crimson stormed out to a 4-2 lead in the first and extended the margin to 6-5 by halftime.
The Seahawks showed resilience in the second half. Strasser scored a goal in the third quarter, and Wagner added three more in the fourth, including tallies from Ray, Connors and Murphy. Despite the late rally, Harvard held on for a 13-9 victory.
Goals: Connors (3), Ray (2), Castillo, Murphy,
Ryan Kerry, Strasser, Aguilera
Next Up: The Seahawks will return to action next weekend at the Princeton Invite, with all three contests taking place at DeNunzio Pool in Princeton, N.J. Wagner opens against Navy on Friday, September 5 before facing LIU and invite host Princeton in a Sunday doubleheader on September 7.
