BALTIMORE, Md. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's water polo team was defeated, 23-12, by Augustana College (Ill.) this evening at host Johns Hopkins University's Barbara & Jerry Procton Pool in Baltimore, Md.
The Lyons fall to 1-10 on the season, while the Vikings, who received votes in the most recent Collegiate Water Polo Association national poll, improve to 6-9.
Augustana owned a 47-31 shooting advantage and a 16-6 margin in steals.
First year attacker Sean Spooner (Saline, Mich.) led Wheaton with three points on a pair of goals and an assist, while junior attacker Spyros Rapsomanikis (Corfu, Greece) netted two goals, came up with a steal, drew an exclusion and made a field block. Sophomore attacker Ayden Guess (Alvin, Texas) scored twice and drew an exclusion and junior attacker Jack Ruggiero (Hamden, Conn.) added two goals, a steal, a field block and a drawn exclusion. Sophomore goalie Nic Boyer (Toledo, Ohio) stopped six of 24 shots that he faced in the first 24 minutes of play, before yielding to first year keeper Leo Upson (Woodside, Calif.), who turned away two of seven shots.
Senior center defender Rhys Lomax (Johannesburg, South Africa) led the Vikings with a game-high four goals to go with a pair of steals and four steals. First year attacker Diego Ferrer (Carolina, Puerto Rico) tallied two goals, assisted on two others and came up with a steal. Sophomore center Uros Ramic (Des Plaines, Ill.) netted four goals and senior attacker Ian Palmroos (San Diego, Calif.) added three markers as well. Sophomore goalie Lawson Soukup (San Diego, Calif.) denied three of 13 shots and first year keeper Ethan Hutton (Fourways, South Africa) stopped four of six shots he faced.
Augustana scored the first four goals of the match, paced by two goals each from junior utility player Cole Faux (San Antonio, Texas) and Palmroos, to take a 4-0 margin with 3:15 to go in the opening period. The Lyons roared back with four of the next five markers to cut the deficit to 5-4 after a goal from sophomore center Charles Jacoby (Reading, Pa.) at the 7:45 mark of the second quarter.
The Vikings ripped off six unanswered goals, including two each from Ferrer and Lomax, to increase their advantage to 11-4 with 4:40 showing in the second quarter. Wheaton closed to within 11-6 with two minutes to go in the second after receiving a goal each from Rapsomanikis and Ruggiero.
The teams traded two goals apiece, including a marker from Lyon first year attacker Stefan Kecman (Chevy Chase, Md.), to make it 13-8 with 5:04 to play in the third quarter. Augustana increased its lead to eight with three straight scores, capped by a Ramic goal to give the Vikings a 16-8 advantage with 2:49 left in the third period.
Guess and Spooner bookended a Lomax marker with goals of their own to bring Wheaton within 17-10 with 56 ticks left on the third quarter clock.
Augustana put the game out of reach with six of the next seven goals, led by a pair of scores from Ramic, to establish a 23-11 margin at the 1:49 mark of the final period. Guess tallied the final marker of the night for the Lyons with 15 seconds left in the game.
Wheaton returns to the pool tomorrow when it remains in Baltimore to play Austin College at 11:00 a.m., while the Vikings take on Washington & Jefferson College tomorrow at 9:30 p.m.
