ROCK ISLAND, Ill.. - The Connecticut College men's water polo team fell in the first two of four games hosted by Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, falling to Washington and Jefferson 14-8, before falling to Penn State Behrend 13-10. With the two losses, Conn falls to 2-13 on the year.
GAME ONE: WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON 14, CONN 8
In game one, Washington and Jefferson jumped out to a 2-0 lead, just over two minutes into the contest. Conn (2-13) answered a minute and half later on a goal by Cormac Stevens (Philadelphia, Pa.), before the Presidents added one more in the frame, to lead 3-1 after the first quarter. W&J scored early in the second quarter, before Siaki Nelson (Montgomery, Texas) got the Camels to 4-2. The Presidents tallied two straight, before Conn answered with two goals themselves, as Jeffrey Harrington (San Diego, Calif.) and Stevens, made it 6-4. A late goal for Washington and Jefferson gave the Presidents a 7-4 lead at the break.
The Presidents used a 4-1 run in the third quarter to push the lead to 11-5 heading to the fourth. The lone goal for Conn in the period was scored by Matthew Maischoss (Malibu, Calif.). The Camels used a 3-0 run in the first part of the final quarter to cut the deficit to 11-8, as the Camels got two goals from Stevens and one from Maischoss. Washington and Jefferson tallied three goals late to come away with the 14-8 victory.
GAME TWO: PENN STATE BEHREND 13, CONN 10
In game two, the first quarter was a defensive battle, as Conn tallied the only goal of the period. Stevens tallied the lone goal, as the Camels led 1-0 after one. In the second quarter, the offenses came to life, combining for 10 goals, as Penn State Behrend outscored Conn 6-4 in the frame. The teams traded the first seven goals of the second, as Harrington, Maischoss, Stevens, and Carson Neidert (West Palm Beach, Fla.) all recorded one goal for Conn. The Behrend Lions ended the half with three straight goals to lead 6-5 at the break.
Nelson tied the contest early in the third quarter, before back-to-back goals for Behrend put the Lions back in front 8-6. Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif.) picked up a marker with just over two and a half minutes remaining, before two more goals from Behrend extended the lead to 10-7. Nelson added a goal late in the quarter, as Conn trailed 10-8 heading to the fourth. An early goal for the Lions pushed the lead to 11-8, but the Camels answered with two straight goals from Stevens and Grant Archer (Miami, Fla.), making it a 11-10 game with 4:50 remaining. Behrend added two more goals to come away with the 13-10 win.
Conn wraps up their time in Rock Island, Ill. with two more games tomorrow, starting against host Augustana at 10:30 a.m.
