ANNAPOLIS, Md. –- The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's water polo team fell to Connecticut College, 21-7, this morning in the Navy Open hosted by United States Naval Academy at Scott Natatorium in Annapolis, Md.
The Lyons fall to 0-3 on the season, while the Camels improve to 1-2.
Connecticut College dominated possession, owning a 49-22 shot advantage.
Sophomore utility player Spyros Rapsomanikis (Kerkyra, Greece) and junior utility player Connor Tompkins (Oakley, Calif.) each netted a pair of goals for Wheaton. Tompkins also drew four exclusions and came up with a steal. Sophomores Jack Ruggiero (Hamden, Conn.) and Jared Safren (Antigua, Guatemala) joined first year attacker Charles Jacoby (Reading, Pa.) with a goal each. Sophomore keeper Dylan Boccali (Ventura, Calif.) made 15 saves for the Lyons.
Sophomore utility player Keegan Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.) led all players with nine points on seven goals and two assists for the Camels, while first year two-meter player Zach Dixon (Wayne, Pa.) scored three times to go with a steal. Junior attacker Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif.) racked up six points, including four assists and added a pair of steals. Senior starting keeper Sebastian Parilov (Brooklyn, N.Y.) stopped three of seven shots in 16 minutes of action and also netted a goal and assisted on four others, while making a pair of steals for Conn. College. Sophomore goalie Artem Kyselov (Dnipro, Ukraine) turned back three of six shots in 12 minutes and senior netminder Isaac Merwin (Houston, Texas) stopped the only shot he faced in the final four minutes of action.
Rapsomanikis opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the match to give Wheaton a 1-0 edge. The Camels ripped off six straight scores, including the final five goals of the quarter, to take a 6-1 lead early in the second period. Dixon scored twice during the stretch.
Tompkins interrupted the scoring string with a marker for the Lyons at the 6:23 mark of the period to cut the deficit to 6-2. Conn. College tallied the next three goals, including a marker from junior attacker Jeffrey Harrington (San Diego, Calif.) to give the Camels a 9-2 advantage with 2:24 left in the first half. Jacoby and Safren each scored in a span of 23 seconds to pull Wheaton within 9-4 with 108 seconds left in the second period.
Harrington and sophomore utility player Paul Podrebarac (Friendswood, Texas) traded goals with Tompkins and Rapsomanikis to keep it a five-goal difference at 11-6 with 3:39 showing in the third quarter. Connecticut College scored the next three goals, including a pair of markers from Kosiba, to give the Camels a 14-6 advantage. Ruggiero tallied the Lyons' final goal of the match with 45 ticks left in the third quarter, before the Camels scored 30 seconds later and added six more scores in the fourth quarter to pull away with the victory. Kosiba netted four goals during the final scoring spree.
Wheaton returns to the pool to take on Long Island University Brooklyn at 12:40 p.m., while Connecticut College takes on Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 2:40 p.m.
