EMMITSBURG, Md. (September 11, 2021) – Mount St. Mary's men's water polo departs Erie with two wins under the belt. On Saturday, after dropping a close contest with Gannon, they rallied to defeat Mercyhurst. Combined with Friday's win over Penn State Behrend, the Mount took two of three during the Pennsylvania trek.
Jason O'Donnell once again was key on the offense, scoring 11 of the team's 28 goals.
Kiahi Horan and
Zach Fischer registered multi-goal efforts in both efforts, including hat tricks against Mercyhurst. Freshman
Michael Lemishko earned his first collegiate multi-goal game with two successful tries in the finale.
Netminder
Marko Kruska finished Saturday with double digit saves in the two games, finishing the tournament with 37 rejections.
The Mount fell behind in the first quarter against the Golden Knights and spent the rest of the game playing catch up. They cut a 5-2 deficit to 8-6 at the break, but Gannon held the Mountaineers to five goals in the second half to hang on.
In the second contest, the Mount increased their goal tally to nine by halftime while holding the Lakers to six points. Mercyhurst mustered three goals per quarter, staying one step behind the visitors to steadily built their lead. Up 14-9 heading into the final frame, the Mount held the advantage by matching the home team's tally, sailing on to victory.
Mount St. Mary's stands 2-5 on the season. They travel to Bucknell next weekend, challenging St. Francis Brooklyn, Mercyhurst, Salem and Fordham.
Gannon 13, Mount St. Mary's 11
Team 1 2 3 4
Mount St. Mary's 2 4 2 3
Gannon 5 3 3 2
Mount St. Mary's Goals: O'Donnell 5, Horan 2, Fischer 2, Wallace-Whitfield 1, Thalos 1
Mount St. Mary's 17, Mercyhurst 12
Team 1 2 3 4
Mount St. Mary's 4 5 5 3
Mercyhurst 3 3 3 3
Mount St. Mary's Goals: O'Donnell 6, Horan 3, Fischer 3, Lemishko 2, Wallace-Whitfield 1, Hoy 1, Thalos 1
