NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's water polo team dropped a heartbreaker, falling to visiting UC Merced 11-9 on Friday night from Lott Natatorium.
It was a defensive battle throughout with neither team leading by more than a goal until the final tally.
Conn struck first 1:45 into the contest as Andrew Rose (Dresher, Pa.) fired home to put the Camels on the board. Merced answered with back-to-back goals, before Keegan Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.) converted on a power play to make it 2-2. Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif.) sank a penalty shot with 50 seconds left, but a later power play goal from the Bobcats had the game tied at three after one.
Merced struck two minutes into the second frame to take a 4-3 lead, before Jack Dillon (Philadelphia, Pa.) fired home to even it back up. The Bobcats jumped back in front 5-4, but Ellis answered with a tally with 36 seconds left to send the game into the break tied at five.
Cormac Stevens (Philadelphia, Pa.) found the back of the net 1:19 into the second half off a power play marker, but again Merced answered back with two straight tallies to go in front 7-6. Conn ended the quarter with the final two goals, as both Laird Welch (Carmel, Calif.) and Kale Halfacre (Aurora, Colo.) found the back of the cage to send the Camels to the fourth quarter in front 8-7.
The Bobcats knotted the game at eight, 30 seconds into the final frame, before Welch put Conn in front 9-8 with 5:44 to play. Merced rallied, scoring the final three goals of the game to come away with the 11-9 win.
Conn (3-10) returns to action tomorrow for two games in Providence, R.I. beginning against Pomona-Pitzer at 11:30a.m.
