The men’s water polo team participated in a notable tournament this past weekend.  The Gary Troyer Tournament was held Friday and Saturday afternoon at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in California.  In their first match, the Behrend Lions faced Cal Lutheran, who displayed their good defense as they took an 11-2 lead in the first half of play. Isaak Hatoop led behrend with two goals in the second half.  Hatoop was also was responsible for two drawn kick outs and a drawn penalty shot. Matt Olimski recorded six saves and a steal in the match.  The lions fell 21-9 to Cal Lutheran. The Lions faced Caltech in their second match. The Lions again fell with a final score of 12-10 in an exhilarating match.  Grant Garcia stood out for Behrend, recording four steals, three goals, and two drawn kickouts.  Hatoop remained consistent Friday in the second match, recording three goals and three steals.  Matt Olimski again had a good match, as he recorded eight saves and three steals.

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The tournament continued into Saturday afternoon as Behrend faced off against Fresno Pacific, their first match of the day. The Lions would unfortunately fall short to Fresno 16-5.  Fresno showed off their phenomenal defense, causing a lot of scoring issues for the Lions in the first period.  Grant Garcia would lead the way once again, scoring two goals and recording three steals.  Matt Olimski would go on to have 11 saves in the match.  In the Lions’ second match of the day, they would faced Occidental.  They went on to win the match 8-7, recording their first win of the tournament.  Garcia went on to score two goals and also provided an assist. Bruce Bursiek contributed with two goals and a steal.  Andre Saradaryzadeh had a good game defensively, tallying four steals on the day.  Olimski would also tally 18 saves, helping the Lions to victory.  The Men’s water polo team will resume its play on Saturday, October 14, where they will compete in the Dill Eastern Championships.