MOUNT ST. MARY'S AT PENN STATE BEHREND/ERIE CONFERENCE CROSSOVER
September 23^rd-25^th | Erie, Pa.
Junker Center (Penn State Behrend) | Hallman Aquatics Center (Conf. Crossover)  

WATCH (PENN STATE BEHREND) | WATCH (ERIE CROSSOVER) 
 
EMMITSBURG, Md. (September 22, 2022) – Teams from all over Mid-Atlantic Water Polo (MAWPC) meet in Erie as conference games shift into high gear. Along with MAWPC contests with Mercyhurst, Gannon and McKendree, Mount St. Mary's will challenge Penn State Behrend in a non-conference showdown.  
 
MOUNT UPDATE
 
The Mount went an even 2-2 at the Bucknell Invite, capturing victories in the first go-arounds with McKendree and Mercyhurst. The team also showed strides against defending champion Fordham in a four-goal defeat.
 
Tommaso Baldineti scored 15 times over three games, upping his team-lead to 32 for the entire year. The sophomore also leads in assists at 16 and is tied with Eli Thalos at 10 steals each. With Baldineti inactive for the Mercyhurst game, nine different team members scored, led by Kiahi Horan with a hat trick.
 
Joseph Maxson earned 20 saves to lead the netminders for the Mount. Frederick Brown debuted against the Lakers, denying three shots for a game high.
 
THE OPPONENTS
 
Penn State Behrend is off to an 0-8 start after winning three exhibitions to open the year. Their most recent contest was a 10-7 defeat to Connecticut College on September 18^th. Jack Holl finished with a hat trick for the Lions.
 
Mercyhurst opened with a 13-11 victory over LIU but have dropped six consecutive games since then. Danilo Vujovic comes in registering 18 goals on the year and primary goaltender Tony Golin tallying 77 saves.
 
Gannon, like Behrend, also seeks their first win, but have faced stiff competition at the start. All four defeats came to squads either ranked in the Top 20 of the CWPA poll or receiving votes. They have also used three weeks to prepare with their last game coming September 4^th. Alex Kotskar leads with 11 goals scored.
 
McKendree is 2-3 this year, defeating Augustana and Mercyhurst. Ending the Bucknell Invite on a high note, they built a 17-7 advantage in their win over the Lakers, with six players totaling multiple scores. The Bearcats – yet to play an MAWPC game so far – stack four games into the weekend.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
 
Including last week's games, the Mount stands 2-0 against Penn State Behrend, 5-0 with Mercyhurst, 0-4 versus Gannon and 1-1 opposing McKendree.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
Single conference games begin Tuesday, September 27^th, when Mount St. Mary's travels to Navy. Following that the Mount heads to California for the Gary Troyer Tournament.