WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Connecticut College men's water polo team returned to action going 2-2 at the 2026 W&J Invitational hosted by Washington and Jefferson over the weekend.
GAME ONE: Gannon 16, Conn 15
Conn opened up the weekend against Division II Gannon on Saturday. Gannon opened the game on the front foot, jumping out to a 2-0 lead just over two minutes into the contest. Conn got on the board with just over three minutes remaining as Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif.) found the back of the cage. The Golden Knights responded with three of the final four goals of the quarter to lead 5-2 after one, with the Camels goal coming from Jeffrey Harrington (San Diego, Calif.).
Conn answered with a 3-0 run to start the second quarter, evening the score with 5:03 to play. During the run, the Camels got one goal apiece from Cormac Stevens (Philadelphia, Pa.), Keegan Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.), and Thomas McDonough (Thousand Oaks, Calif.). Gannon jumped back in front just 16 seconds later on a goal from Mateja Zjacic to lead 6-5 at the break.
The Golden Knights pushed the lead to 7-5 early in the third quarter, before the Camels attack came to life. Spurred by a 6-2 run, Conn took an 11-9 lead into the final quarter. In the third frame, Conn got two goals from Ellis, with one each from Kosiba, McDonough, Stevens, and Laird Welch (Carmel, Calif.). Conn extended the lead to three early in the fourth on a tally from Harrington, before three straight goals from Gannon knotted the contest at 12. The teams traded the next six goals, as the game was tied at 15 with a minute left. Gannon jumped in front with 25 seconds left, leaving Conn with one last chance to tie, but the Camels were unable to find the cage, falling 16-15.
GAME TWO: Conn 14, PSB 12
Conn bounced back from the tough loss in game one, defeating Penn State Behrend 14-12 in the nightcap on Saturday. It was a close affair throughout, with neither side leading by more than two goals in the game. The Camels started fast, as Stevens and Harrington struck back-to-back to put Conn in front 2-0 just a minute and a half in. PSB responded with two straight goals, before Kosiba and Stevens scored around another Lions goal, to have Conn in front 4-3 after one.
Zach Dixon (Wayne, Pa.) struck just over a minute into the second quarter to make it 5-3, but again PSB answered with two tallies to even the score at five. Stevens and Paul Podrebarac (Friendswood, Texas) had a goal each cancelled out by the Lions as the game was tied at seven at the break.
PSB took their first lead of the night with two early goals in the third quarter. The Camels roared back with four straight tallies, as Welch potted two goals, with Harrington and Stevens also finding the back of the cage to put Conn in front 11-9. The Camels would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the night, as the teams traded the final six goals, with one apiece from Ellis, Stevens, and Welch, to give Conn the 14-12 win.
GAME THREE: McKendree 19, Conn 11
Conn returned to the pool early on Sunday for game three, taking on McKendree. The Bearcats came out firing, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. Ellis got the Camels on the board, before back-to-back goals from McKendree pushed the lead to 4-1. Ellis ended the quarter with a penalty shot goal to make it 4-2 after one.
The teams traded the first four goals of the second frame, with Stevens and McDonough finding the cage for Conn, before the Bearcats outscored Conn 4-1 over the remainder of the quarter to lead 10-5 at the break.
McKendree pulled away in the third quarter, pumping in nine goals to Conn's two tallies. The Camels got a goal from both Kosiba and Stevens to trail 19-7 heading to the fourth. Conn attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring all four goals in the frame, but could not get any closer. Artem Kyselov (Dnipro, Ukraine), Jack Dillon (Philadelphia, Pa.), Ellis, and Welch all notched one goal, as the Camels fell 19-11.
GAME FOUR: Conn 15, W&J 8
Conn closed out the weekend against host Washington and Jefferson on Sunday afternoon. The first half was low scoring as the teams combined for just eight goals in 16 minutes. McDonough got the Camels on the board two and a half minutes in, before W&J evened the score midway through the frame. Ellis and McDonough each found the back of the net before the end of the quarter as Conn led 3-1 after one. The teams traded four goals in the second quarter, as Ellis and McDonough again found the back of the cage to put the Camels in front 5-3 at the break.
The Presidents scored twice to start the second half to even the score at five, before Conn took control. Ellis put the Camels in front at 4:29, before one goal from each of Harrington, McDonough, and Steven had Conn leading 9-6 heading to the fourth.
Conn put the game away with a dominant final quarter, outscoring W&J 6-2. Ellis scored the first goal, before McDonough added two more tallies, while Dixon, Kosiba, and Andrew Rose (Dresher, Pa.) iced the game, to give Conn the 15-8 win.
Conn has a week off, before hitting home water, as the Camels with host Iona and Wheaton on Saturday Sept. 19 for the Conn College invite, with Conn's first game at 12:00 p.m. against Iona in Lott Natatorium.
