ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's water polo fell in a close battle to Gannon Saturday morning by a score of 15-11.
Senior Troy Valkusky (Drifton, PA/Hazleton) led the Lions (6-12) with a hat trick and two steals. Freshman Norberto Menendez (Miami, FL/Belen Jesuit Prep) scored twice for Behrend while goalie Matt Olimski (San Diego, CA/Otay Ranch) played the entire game in goal, registering 15 saves, five assists, and four steals while surrendering 15 goals.
Jack Donnelly got the Golden Knights (14-6) on the board first with a score just under three minutes into the match. Then Zarko Sadikovic put Gannon up 2-0 a minute later. Valkusky cut the lead in half for the Lions after netting a goal at the 3:39 mark. Gannon would end the first quarter on a three-goal scoring streak to push the score to 5-1.
Ethan Hamp opened up the scoring for the Golden Knights 26 seconds into the second, extending the lead to 6-1. But Cameron Makin (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) retaliated 14 seconds later when he finished a shot to give Behrend its second goal of the contest. After a pair of goals were exchanged between the teams, Gannon would tally two more to make the score 9-3. With the help of Valkusky and Greg Kinzler (Plum, PA/Agra Charter Cyber School) the Lions would bury two goals just 21 seconds apart. Then, with 14 seconds remaining, Menendez found his first goal of the match to cut the lead to three going into halftime.
Gannon took control of the game in the third quarter, scoring five unanswered goals to jump out to a 14-6 lead. Mark Ercolani (North Wales, PA/North Penn) broke the Golden Knights streak after notching a goal with five seconds left in the third.
Bryce Barnes (Gig Harbor, WA/Gig Harbor) netted a goal 33 seconds into the fourth, making the score 14-8. But Tim Baer responded just 18 seconds later with a goal of his own. The Lions fought throughout the fourth, going on a three-goal scoring streak. But it was not enough to overcome Gannon's defense, ending the game 15-11.
Grant Garcia (Kingsburg, CA/Kingsburg) tallied three steals in the match while Valkusky and Davis Kraft (Houston, TX/Langham Creek) would add two steals each. Kinzler would also dish out two assists in the game.
Behrend returns to action when they travel to Palo Alto, CA for the MPSF Championships on November 17.
