Falcons Edge Lions in Thriller

Falcons Edge Lions in Thriller

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's water polo team fell to Notre Dame College 11-10 on Friday night.

A big fourth quarter helped the Falcons earn their fourth straight win.

After the opening quarter, the Lions (1-9) held a slim 3-2 advantage.  Ali Khan (Lake Zurich, IL/Stevenson), Kody Veit (Harleysville, PA/Souderton), and Adam Glick (Bonita, CA/Bonita Vista), all scored one goal.  Veit scored again the second quarter for the loan Behrend goal as the Lions were now trailing 5-4 at the break.

With the second half underway, the tightly contested battle continued.  Hasan Khan (Lake Zurich, IL/Stevenson) and Ali Khan netted the first two goals of the third to regain the Behrend lead.  Once again Notre Dame College had an answer.  The Falcons found the back of the net twice in a 24-minute span to get the advantage back.  The Lions were not going quietly though, with two more goals in the third, Behrend was leading 8-7 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the tides turned in favor of Notre Dame.  The Falcons went on a 4-0 run in the first four minutes of the fourth to gain all the momentum.  With under three minutes to play, Brendann Rosa (North Miami, FL/Hialeah) sparked the Behrend comeback.  Rosa assisted on two straight goals by Ted Dean (Ramona, CA/Ramona) and Ali Khan to get the Lions within one.  Now with six seconds remaining, Behrend's final attempt to tie the game was denied giving Notre Dame the victory.

Ali Khan led the offense with four goals.  Veit chipped in two.  Rosa and Ty Elder (Brentwood, CA/Heritage) combined to make 15 saves in net. 

The Lions will be back in the water tomorrow for two more games.  Behrend will travel to Gannon at 3 p.m. before returning to the Junker Center to face Washington and Jefferson in the home finale at 7:30 p.m.