Water Polo Starts Off Season on High Note With Two Wins
ERIE, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College men’s water polo team opened its 2011 season with a 2-1 record, including an 11-10 victory over Gannon on Sunday.
The victory over the Division II Golden Knights was the first for the Presidents in the series since Sept. 18, 2005. Prior to today, W&J had lost 15 consecutive matches to Gannon.
Senior Andy Rish (North East, Pa./Cathedral Prep) fueled the victory with four goals. Freshman Carl Krause (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) added a hat trick, while juniors Cameron Chaves (La Canada, Calif./La Canada), Mike Johnson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Alex Shuey (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and freshman Mike Magdic (Franklin Park, Pa./North Allegheny) all added one goal.
Sophomore Dan Francisco (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) posted seven saves, while freshman Chris DeNunzio (Greenwich, Conn./Canterbury) notched six stops.
On Saturday night, W&J held off Penn State-Behrend 9-8 in the Lions’ home pool. W&J overcame a 6-5 halftime deficit. DeNunzio played an important role in the win with seven saves.
Chaves paced the offense with three goals, while Rish and Magdic both fired in a pair. Krause and junior Joey Weiland (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) rounded out the goal scorers.
Earlier on Saturday, the Presidents suffered a 17-13 loss to Division II Mercyhurst. W&J faltered in the second half after building a 9-6 lead by halftime.
Krause netted four goals in his first collegiate match, while Rish amassed a trio of goals. Chaves and Johnson dropped in a pair, while Magdic and freshman Conor Crowe (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) also scored. Francisco compiled eight saves, while DeNunzio racked up six.
Magdic led the defense with four steals, while Rish also grabbed three steals.
W&J travels to Annapolis, Md., on Friday night for a 7:30 pm match against Division I Navy.
