ERIE, Pa. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's water polo team fell to host Pennsylvania State University Behrend, 19-8, this afternoon on the first day of the Erie Invite at Erie Prep Center in Erie, Pa.

The Lyons slip to 0-4 on the season, while the Lions improve to 2-0.

First year utility Spyros Rapsomanikis (Kerkyra, Greece) led Wheaton with five goals, an assist and a career-high six steals, while first year 2-meter defender Jack Ruggiero (Hamden, Conn.) contributed with a goal, an assist and three steals. First year Josh Vander Wagen (Brookfield, Ill.) also chipped in with a goal and a trio of steals. First year goalie Dylan Boccali (Ventura, Calif.) turned away eight shots for the Lyons.

Senior 2-meter Jack Holl (Greenwich, Conn.) led all players with six markers for Penn State Behrend, while first year utility Evan Blasky (Rockford, Mich.) scored four times and junior 2-meter defender Will Aikens (La Grange Park, Ill.) tallied three goals. Junior keeper Ethan Friedman (Valley Center, Calif.) stopped six shots for the Lions, while senior Leyton Vrono (Murrieta, Calif.) made nine saves and first year goalie Andy Zhuri (Houston, Texas) made six.

Penn State Behrend opened the contest with six of the first seven goals, including three from Holl and two from Blasky, to take a 6-1 lead with 5:25 left in the second quarter. Rapsomanikis scored during the run to cut the deficit to 2-1 for Wheaton. First year 2-meter Michael Ruemelin (Chicago, Ill.) ended the Lions' four-goal run with a tally coming at the 4:14 marker of the second quarter to pull the Lyons within 6-2.

Penn State Behrend reeled off six straight scores to increase its advantage to 12-2 with 5:27 showing on the third quarter clock. Holl found the back of the net three more times during the stretch, while sophomore 2-meter defender Karol Nowak (Barrington, Ill.) netted both of his goals.

Rapsomanikis scored back-to-back goals for the visitors to cut the margin to 12-4 with 4:42 remaining in the quarter, but the Lions answered with four consecutive goals, including a pair from Aikens, to take a 16-4 cushion with 2:48 to go in the third period.

Wheaton received goals from Ruggiero and Rapsomanikis to pull the Lyons to 16-6, before sophomore 2-meter defender Adrian Tolczyk (Park Ridge, Ill.) scored for to give the home team its largest lead of the game at 18-7 with 4:21 showing in the quarter. Rapsomanikis netted the last marker of the day for Wheaton with 1:47 remaining in the contest, before Aikens ended the game's scoring with his final marker coming just 13 ticks later.

The Lyons return to action tomorrow in Behrend, when they take on Gannon University at 9:00 a.m., while the Lions begin tomorrow's play with Connecticut College at 10:30 a.m.