SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College men's water polo team picked up wins in two of its final three games this weekend at the 'Roo Invite, defeating Connecticut 22-8 before falling to Augustana 14-10 on Saturday and finishing the weekend with a 12-8 win over Washington & Jefferson on Sunday. The 'Roos are now 4-5 overall on the year.
The 'Roos were dominant throughout against Connecticut College on Saturday, building a lead of 16-2 before cruising over the final two quarters. Cade Griffith had four goals to lead the charge offensively, while Evan Cueva added three tallies. Gabriel Daniels added three goals of his own, while Dylan McArthur, Aidan Wade, and Nikolas Koelzer each found the back of the cage twice in a balanced scoring attack. Alan Rosenberg had seven blocks in goal for the 'Roos, while Liam Roberts added four while splitting time in the net.
Against Augustana, the 'Roos fell behind 3-0 early before battling back to cut it to a 4-3 deficit after the opening quarter. The Augustana lead once again grew to three goals in the second quarter when the Vikings tallied to make it 8-5, but Austin College was able to cut into the margin and make it a 9-7 game at halftime. Augustana pushed the deficit to 14-8 in the third, and the Vikings would take a 14-9 lead into the closing quarter. Austin College held the Vikings scoreless in the fourth, but the 'Roos were only able to manage one goal in the frame to make it a 14-10 final. Griffith had three goals to pace the 'Roos, and Tobias Ward added two scores. Rosenberg had 15 blocks in the loss.
Austin College wrapped up the weekend against Washington & Jefferson on Sunday, taking a 3-1 lead early and finishing up the opening quarter 4-3. The margin grew to 6-3 in the second before the Presidents battled back to cut it to 6-5, but Austin College got on the board once more before halftime with a goal from Andrew Galt to make it 7-5 at the break. Austin College would take a 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter, and the 'Roos outscored W&J 2-1 in the final frame to make it a 12-8 score as the buzzer sounded. Griffith had a huge game for the 'Roos, finding the back of the cage six times to lead all scorers. Max Wade added two goals, and Rosenberg had nine blocks.