The Mt. SAC Men's Water Polo Team made an impressive appearance at the Merced Tournament held on August 30 and 31. The Mounties played competitively and worked together as a team to win three out of four matches, setting a positive tone for the season.
In their opening game, Mt. SAC defeated Diablo Valley College with a decisive 15-6 victory. Attackers Aidan Gillooly and Trevor Davis each scored three goals, leading the Mounties' offense. Contributions also came from Noah Plunkett, Benjamin Trull, Nicolas Lara, Connor Cook, Ethan Brown, Ryan Ketring, Nicholas Sanchez, Lucas Heath and Andres Sanchez, each adding a goal. Goalkeeper Henry De Luna fiercely protected the goal with five crucial blocks. The Mounties recorded a shooting percentage of 37.5% with a total of 15 goals on 40 attempts, 13 assists, four exclusions, eight blocks and 20 steals, although they allowed six goals and 15 turnovers.
The second match proved to be more challenging as Mt. SAC narrowly lost to American River College 11-10. Aidan Gillooly was a standout performer, scoring four of Mt. SAC's 11 goals. Additional goals were contributed by George Roby-Unkovich, Michael McMillan, Nico Lara, Ryan Jackson and Trevor Davis. De Luna again demonstrated his skill with 11 blocks. The team had a shooting percentage of 35.7% with 10 goals on 28 attempts, eight assists, 20 exclusions, 13 blocks and 12 steals, but allowed 11 goals and faced 15 turnovers.
The Mounties came back strong in the third match of the tournament on Saturday morning against Merced College with a 28-8 victory. Aidan Gillooly went three for three, while Benjamin Trull, Matthew Leeworthy, Ruben Villanueva, Nico Lara and Matthew Munoz also achieved 100% shooting accuracy. The team's offensive depth was evident as they recorded goals from multiple other players included Connor Cook, Ryan Jackson, Trevor Davis, Ryan Ketring, Luke Fulkerson, Lucas Heath, Jack Painton, Andres Sanchez, Parker Montgomery, Zackary Zander, Ryan Davis, Donovan Thomas, John Doverspike and Sebastian Candela. The Mounties' statistics included 28 goals on 41 attempts, a remarkable 68.3% shooting percentage, 20 assists, seven exclusions and nine blocks.
In the fourth and final game of the tournament, the Mounties capped off their performance with a 23-8 win over San Joaquin Delta. Attacker Trevor Davis lead the offense with three goals, supported by Benjamin Trull, Nicolas Lara, Ethan Brown, Aidan Gillooly and Lucas Heath each contributing two goals. Goalies Henry De Luna, Elijah Swaim, Zayd Karim and Tyler Johnson each took turns in goal, combining for a series of crucial saves that kept San Joaquin Delta's scoring toa minimum. This commanding win was an impressive conclusion to the Mounties' strong showing at their first tournament of the season.
The Mt. SAC Men's Water Polo Team is energized and ready for their upcoming games. Their next match is scheduled at home on Friday, September 6, at 3:30 PM, where they will face Ottawa University Arizona.
Follow Mt. SAC Men's Water Polo on Twitter @mtsacaquatics or Instagram /mtsacaquatics/
Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on Twitter @MtSAC_athletics or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics
For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.