PRINCETON, N.J.– The Connecticut College men's water polo team wrapped up the season, dropping all three games at the 2024 Northeast Water Polo Conference Championships.
GAME 1: Harvard 22, Conn 7
Harvard scored the first four goals, before Cormac Stevens (Philadelphia, Pa.) got Conn on the board. The Crimson then went on another 4-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and start of the second quarter, before Matthew Maischoss (Malibu, Calif.) made it 8-2. Harvard ended the half with the last three goals to lead 11-2 at the break.
Conn scored three times in the third quarter, as Jeffrey Harrington (San Diego, Calif.), Keegan Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.), and Augie Loredo (Houston, Texas) scored for the Camels. However, Harvard added another seven goals in the frame to lead 18-5 heading to the fourth. The Crimson pushed the lead to 22-5, before Harrington and Artem Kyselov (Dnipro, Ukraine) tallied the last two goals, making the final 22-7.
GAME 2: MIT 22, Conn 7
The first quarter of game two was a tight back-and-forth battle. MIT opened the scoring, before an early goal from Paul Podrebarac (Friendswood, Texas) tied the game at one. After three straight from the Engineers, Conn responded with back-to-back tallies, as Podrebarac got his second, and Harrington cut the deficit to one. MIT pushed it back to 5-3, before Maischoss made it 5-4, but the Engineers beat the buzzer to lead 6-4 after one. The second quarter was all MIT as the Engineers outscored Conn 6-0 to lead 12-4 at the break.
The third quarter was close again, as MIT outscored Conn 4-3. For the Camels, Stevens, Harrington, and Ethan Hipsky (Glastonbury, Conn.) all found the net, as Conn trailied 16-7 heading to the fourth. Once again, the Engineers held the Camels scoreless in the final frame, outscoring Conn 6-0 to come away with the 22-7 win.
GAME 3: LIU 20, Conn 11
The final game for Conn started tight, as LIU took a 4-2 lead after the first quarter, as Conn got goals from Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif.) and Thomas McDonough (Thousand Oaks, Calif.). LIU broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring Conn 6-1 in the frame. The lone Camels goal came from Ellis, as Conn trailed 10-3 at the break.
Conn played much better in the second half, battling LIU all the way to the end. In the third quarter, Stevens recorded a hat trick, while McDonough added his second goal, as Conn trailed 16-7 heading to the fourth. The teams played even in the final frame. Stevens, Kosiba, McDonough, and Liam Merrill (Glastonbury, Conn.) all scored for the Camels as Conn ended the year with the 20-11 defeat.
All three goalkeepers appeared throughout the weekend, as Sebastian Parilov (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Isaac Merwic (Houston, Texas), and Kyselov received action in goal.
Conn finishes the season with a 7-14 record. The seven wins by the Camels are the most in a season since 2017.