ERIE, Pa. – The Connecticut College men's water polo team hit the road for four games at the Erie Invitational, picking up wins in three of four contests to improve to 4-2 on the year.

Game 1: Conn 16, Mercyhurst 15

Conn opened the weekend with a huge win over a Division 1 opponent, taking down Mercyhurst 16-15. Mercyhurst jumped out to a 2-0 lead, before Cormac Stevens (Philadelphia, Pa.) got the Camels on the board. The Lakers added a goal late in the opening quarter to lead 3-1 after one. The game remained tight in the second quarter, as Conn outscored Mercyhurst 6-5 in the frame. The Camels received goals from Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif), Jeffrey Harrington (San Diego, Calif.), Thomas McDonough (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), and Paul Podrebarac (Friendswood, Texas), while Stevens added two goals, as Conn trailed 8-7 at the half. 

The Lakers opened the third quarter with three of the first four goals of the frame extending the lead to 11-8. However, Conn answered right back with three straight markers from Ellis to tie the game at 11. Harrington and Ellis each added a goal before the end of the quarter, as the game was tied at 13 heading to the fourth. Mercyhurst took leads of 14-13 and 15-14, before Stevens tied the game at 15. With two and a half minutes left, Carson Neidert (West Palm Beach, Fla.) found the back of the net to give Conn the 16-15 win.

Game 2: Gannon 21, Conn 8

Gannon used a strong opening quarter to open an early lead, pulling away from Conn for the win in game two. Gannon jumped out a 3-0 lead before McDonough got the Camels on the board. The Golden Knights tallied three more goals, but Harrington hit the back of the net to make it 6-2. Gannon used a 9-0 run over the rest of the first quarter through the entirety of the second quarter to lead 13-2 at the half.

The third quarter was even as Gannon outscored Conn 3-2 in the quarter. Harrington and Matthew Maischoss (Malibu, Calif.) scored for the Camels as they trailed 16-5 after three. Conn added three more goals in the final frame. Stevens notched two goals, while Jonathan Rojas (Houston, Texas) added the third. However, Gannon recorded five more goals to come away with the 21-8 win.

Game 3: Conn 15, Penn State Behrend 12

Conn rebounded in the first game of day two with a strong win over Penn State Behrend. The Camels jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. In the opening frame both Siaki Nelson (Houston, Texas) and Stevens tallied two goals for the lead after one. PSB answered with three straight goals to tie the game early in the second quarter at four. However, Conn ended the first half on a 3-1 run to lead 7-5 at the break. During the run Harrington notched one goal while Ellis added two.

The run continued for Conn to start the second half as Ellis and Stevens both connected for another goal to extend the lead to 9-5. PSB answered with back-to-back markers, before the Camels outscored the Lions 3-2 the rest of the frame. Keegan Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.) scored twice, while Ellis added another marker, as Conn led 12-9 heading to the fourth. Podrebarac pushed the lead to 13-9 early in the final quarter, before a 3-1 run from PSB made it 14-12 late. However, Ellis added an insurance marker as Conn came away with the 15-12 victory.

Game 4: Conn 13, Washington and Jefferson 8

Conn closed out the weekend with another strong performance, defeating Washington and Jefferson 13-8. The Camels used a 6-2 first quarter to jump out to an early lead and cruised from there. Ellis, Harrington, and Stevens got the scoring started for Conn as the Camels opened up a 3-0 lead. W&J got on the board, before back-to-back markers as McDonough and Rojas pushed the lead to 5-1. The Presidents made it 5-2, but a late goal from McDonough made it 6-2 after one. W&J struck early in the second quarter making it 6-3, but Conn closed out the half with two straight goals, as Podrebarac and McDonough made it 8-3 at the break.

Conn's strong play continued into the third quarter, outscoring W&J 3-1 in the frame. The Presidents struck first, cutting the lead to 8-4, before the Camels answered with three straight markers. During the run Harrington, McDonough, and Nelson each connected for one goal, as Conn led 11-4 heading to the fourth. The Presidents made a strong start to the final frame, using a 4-1 run to cut into the Camels lead, making it 12-8. However, Rojas added another marker late, as Conn wrapped up the weekend with a 13-8 win.

Conn used a balanced effort offensively across all four games, while Sebastian Parilov (Brooklyn, N.Y.) played every minute in goal.

Conn returns to action on Sunday for a home opener doubleheader, taking on Johns Hopkins at 10 a.m. and Iona at 2 p.m. in Lott Natatorium.