George Washington University Athletics
Men's Water Polo Set for Princeton Invitational
9/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
Austin PyrchJr. || 6-4 || GK
Denton, Texas
Pyrch got his season off to a great start at the Navy Open. The goalkeeper posted eight saves and added four steals in a 15-11 win over Navy. He later set a career high with 15 stops in a 21-8 victory over Salem International.
The 17th-ranked Colonials kick off the event against No. 4 UCLA on Friday at 2:20 p.m. before a 7:40 p.m. matchup with Iona. They come back Saturday to meet No. 10 Harvard (10 a.m.) and No. 14 Brown (6:45 p.m.).
LAST TIME OUT: GW opened the season last weekend with three wins at the Navy Open. The Colonials edged the host Midshipmen, 15-11, on Saturday before adding comfortable victories over Washington & Jefferson and Salem International. They moved up one spot in this week's CWPA national poll to No. 17.
IN FOCUS: GW has demonstrated impressive offensive balance so far. Eleven different Colonials have scored through three games, paced by 12 goals from Jordan Blosser.
SCOUTING UCLA: The Bruins made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships last fall before losing in overtime to California. They are 2-0 so far, winning both by double digits last weekend in their home pool.
SCOUTING IONA: The Gaels went 2-2 at the Navy Open last weekend, beating Cal Lutheran and Washington & Jefferson on Saturday before losing to Gannon and Navy on Sunday.
SCOUTING HARVARD: The Crimson was tested right out of the gate at its annual Bruno Classic. It came up short against then-No. 3 Stanford and then-No. 7 Pepperdine before bouncing back to beat McKendree and Wagner. Junior Nick Bunn has a team-best nine goals.
SCOUTING BROWN: The Bears are 3-3 after facing stiff competition at Harvard's Bruno Classic. They pushed Pepperdine to overtime before falling and picked up a quality win over then-No. 19 St. Francis Brooklyn.
WATCH & LEARN: The Colonials look back on opening weekend and ahead to a tough test at the Princeton Invitational.
A great start to our season last weekend and more challenges coming at the Princeton Invitational. #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/sfEgjjfs9A
- GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) September 6, 2017
UP NEXT: GW heads to the Bucknell Invitational for four games over three days, beginning Sept. 15. The Colonials are scheduled to meet Salem International, University of Toronto, Harvard and Mercyhurst.
