EMMITSBURG, Md. (September 18, 2022) – Using nine different goal scorers, the Mount St. Mary's men's water polo team upended Mercyhurst 17-13 during the finale of the Bucknell Invite. The victory ends the tournament on a high note, following a loss in a conference matchup with Salem.
After going 2-2 on the weekend, the Mount's record stands at 4-3 (0-2 MAWPC).
Salem 20, Mount St. Mary's 9
Team 1 2 3 4
Mount St. Mary's 2 2 3 3
Salem 7 3 3 7
Goals: Baldineti 5, Wallace-Whitfield 2, Belesis 2
Saves: Maxson 8, Hosni 1
The Tigers started hot and finished strong with 14 combined scores during the first and fourth periods. A fast jump to a 6-1 lead sealed the fate of the Mountaineers, with Marko Zivojinovic registering a hat trick by a quarter's end.
Tommaso Baldineti had the biggest game for the white caps, continuing his pace with five goals.
Mount St. Mary's 17, Mercyhurst 13
Team 1 2 3 4
Mount St. Mary's 4 5 5 3
Mercyhurst 3 2 3 5
Goals: Horan 3, Hopkins 2, Hoy 2, Haney 2, Thalos 2, McNeal-Villafana 2, Reising 2, Valavanis 1, Lemishko 1
Saves: Brown 3, Maxson 2, Hosni 2
Needing a win to keep above .500 for the season, Mount St. Mary's employed a well-balanced attack with almost every player contributing and all three goalkeepers seeing playing time.
Alex Hoy posted his first goal of the year to open the scoring, helping the Mount build a 4-3 lead. That advantage extended to 9-5 by halftime as
Nate Hopkins tallied his first pair of goals in the second quarter.
Another five goals gave the Mount a 14-8 cushion, which was enough to withstand a comeback from the Lakers. Three scores in the opening moments of the fourth period cut the lead down to three, but that would as close as Mercyhust could get.
Kiahi Horan registered three goals along the way to lead the team and post his second hat trick of the year.
A trip to Erie, Pa. awaits the Mount next weekend, with games against Penn State Behrend, McKendree, Gannon and Mercyhurst.
