The Penn State Behrend men’s water polo team took part in the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Division III Eastern Championships in Baltimore, Maryland this past weekend. The Lions faced three tough opponents during the two-day tournament and were able to come away with two victories, losing only to tournament host Johns Hopkins.

​

The weekend began with a match against the Connecticut College Camels Friday afternoon. The match began with Behrend jumping out to a 6-2 lead after the first quarter, before the Camels came back to tie the match at nine before the halfway point hit. Behrend narrowly gained the victory after outscoring Connecticut 4-2 in the second half, thanks in part to goals from Cameron Makin, Greg Kinzler and Dario Gonzalez. Isaak Hatopp led the Lions with five goals, while goalie Matt Olimski amassed 10 saves in the 15-13 win.

​

As mentioned, the Lions did not fare well against the fifth ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, losing by a final score of 19-7. Behrend did not really have a chance from the outset, leaving a seven-goal lead to the Blue Jays at the half. Behrend was outscored 5-1 in the third and were unable to recover, due in part to their struggling offense, which only amassed 15 shots on goal and went zero for three on the power play. Hatopp was one of the few bright spots for the Lions, scoring three goals and stealing three.

​

On Sunday, the Lions got off to a slow start versus the Washington and Jefferson Presidents, scoring only four goals in the first half. However, Olimski and the rest of the Behrend defense was able to shutout the Presidents in the third quarter. The Lions netted six goals in this period, with two each coming from Andre Sardaryzadeh and Hatopp. The match eventually came to an 11-11 tie after Washington and Jefferson’s Cam Spicer netted his lone goal at the 2:53 mark. With less than 10 seconds remaining, and after timeouts from each side, Kinzler stole the ball and dished it to Olimski. Olimski then heaved the ball down the pool into the net with all of two second left on the clock to help Behrend capture their third win of the season and third place at the tournament.

​

Behrend will host a tournament rematch against Washington and Jefferson this Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Junker Center. This will be Behrend’s third and last home match of the season.