Friday, November 16
Bronx, N.Y.
6:00 PM
George Washington University
vs
McKendree
Men's Water Polo Seeks Repeat MAWPC Crown
11/14/2018 11:45:00 AM | Water Polo
Colonials aim for repeat championship at Fordham
George Washington men's water polo tries for a repeat Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference title this weekend at Fordham's Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center in Bronx, N.Y.
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The second-seeded Colonials begin their run at the conference championship on Friday at 6 p.m. against No. 7 McKendree, champion of the MAWPC West Region. The winner advances to face either No. 3 Wagner or No. 6 Johns Hopkins on Saturday for a spot in Sunday's final.
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LAST TIME OUT:Â GW (19-6) picked up a doubleheader sweep last Saturday to close the regular season. The Colonials knocked off Johns Hopkins, 15-7, on Senior Day at Smith Center Pool before picking up a 17-8 victory at Navy in the nightcap.
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Andras Levai was named MAWPC Player of the Week after totaling seven goals, nine assists and 11 steals over the two wins. He matched his single-game career high with nine points against Johns Hopkins and set a new personal mark with eight steals.
Austin Pyrch earned his third conference Defensive Player of the Week award for his play in net. The senior goalkeeper set a career high with 17 saves in the opener before adding eight more stops in the defeat of Navy.
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MAWPC MEMORIES: GW celebrated its first ever MAWPC title in 2017, winning three games in as many days at Navy's Lejeune Hall. The Colonials dispatched Gannon and Fordham before claiming an 8-5 win over Wagner in the final to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
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Andrew Mavis was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Levai was honored as Rookie of the Tournament. Pyrch, Atakan Destici and Vaios Vlahotasios also received All-Tournament honors.
MAKING (MORE) HISTORY:Â GW's 19 wins are its most in a season in more than two decades and second-most in program history. The Colonials went 23-10 under Van Hoffman in 1997.
GREAT IN GOAL:Â Pyrch is having his best season as a Colonial with 245 saves and a .558 save percentage. With his strong Senior Day performance, the veteran netminder moved into sixth place on the program's all-time saves list with 525. He needs 46 more stops to pass Connor Dillon ('16) for fifth.
Matt Taylor has also been solid between the pipes this fall for the Buff and Blue. After missing all of last season due to injury, the New Zealand native has returned to the lineup to make 87 saves with .626 save percentage.
CAREER YEAR: Jack Kerwin ranks fourth among Colonials with 48 goals, which is more than he scored over his first three seasons in Buff and Blue combined (43). After posting 19 points in 2017, the Connecticut native has piled up 62 this fall.
AWESOME ATAKAN:Â A two-time MAWPC First Team pick, Destici leads GW in goals (73) and points (128). The junior from Turkey recorded his 200th career goal in a win over Connecticut College on Oct. 14. He currently ranks second in program history in assists (177), third in points (390) and seventh in goals (213). He enters the tournament needing 15 assists to pass Brian Mojica ('15) to become the program's all-time leader.
THE A-TEAM:Â The trio of Atakan Destici, Andrew Mavis and Andras Levai has combined for 314 points via 202 goals and 112 assists this season. All three have been honored as the MAWPC Player of the Week. Mavis ranks second on the team with 69 goals this season and enters play Friday with 189 for his career, while Levai leads the Colonials with 56 assists and has already set a new career high with 116 points.
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RISING ROOKIES:Â GW added seven first-years to its roster this season, and all of them have made an impact. Every member of the group has at least 10 points this fall, paced by Nick Schroeder's 36 via 23 goals and 13 assists. Henry Maas leads the rookies with 18 steals, while DJ Davis has tallied 12 field blocks to tie for the team lead with Destici.
SCOUTING THE FIELD:Â GW has defeated all seven MAWPC East clubs in the field at least once this season, including top-seeded Bucknell. The Colonials and Bison split the season series with each winning in their home pool.
The Buff and Blue picked up a victory at Messmore Aquatic Center on Sept. 23, beating Fordham, 14-7.
GW has never faced McKendree, which is in its second season of varsity competition. The Bearcats (14-11) beat Salem International, 13-12, to win the MAWPC West Region title on Nov. 4. Goalkeeper Ori Scanlon was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
WATCH THIS: Hear from head coach Barry King, Isher Gill and Maas before the MAWPCÂ Championship.
Â
The second-seeded Colonials begin their run at the conference championship on Friday at 6 p.m. against No. 7 McKendree, champion of the MAWPC West Region. The winner advances to face either No. 3 Wagner or No. 6 Johns Hopkins on Saturday for a spot in Sunday's final.
Â
LAST TIME OUT:Â GW (19-6) picked up a doubleheader sweep last Saturday to close the regular season. The Colonials knocked off Johns Hopkins, 15-7, on Senior Day at Smith Center Pool before picking up a 17-8 victory at Navy in the nightcap.
Â
Andras Levai was named MAWPC Player of the Week after totaling seven goals, nine assists and 11 steals over the two wins. He matched his single-game career high with nine points against Johns Hopkins and set a new personal mark with eight steals.
Austin Pyrch earned his third conference Defensive Player of the Week award for his play in net. The senior goalkeeper set a career high with 17 saves in the opener before adding eight more stops in the defeat of Navy.
Â
MAWPC MEMORIES: GW celebrated its first ever MAWPC title in 2017, winning three games in as many days at Navy's Lejeune Hall. The Colonials dispatched Gannon and Fordham before claiming an 8-5 win over Wagner in the final to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
Â
Andrew Mavis was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Levai was honored as Rookie of the Tournament. Pyrch, Atakan Destici and Vaios Vlahotasios also received All-Tournament honors.
MAKING (MORE) HISTORY:Â GW's 19 wins are its most in a season in more than two decades and second-most in program history. The Colonials went 23-10 under Van Hoffman in 1997.
GREAT IN GOAL:Â Pyrch is having his best season as a Colonial with 245 saves and a .558 save percentage. With his strong Senior Day performance, the veteran netminder moved into sixth place on the program's all-time saves list with 525. He needs 46 more stops to pass Connor Dillon ('16) for fifth.
Matt Taylor has also been solid between the pipes this fall for the Buff and Blue. After missing all of last season due to injury, the New Zealand native has returned to the lineup to make 87 saves with .626 save percentage.
CAREER YEAR: Jack Kerwin ranks fourth among Colonials with 48 goals, which is more than he scored over his first three seasons in Buff and Blue combined (43). After posting 19 points in 2017, the Connecticut native has piled up 62 this fall.
AWESOME ATAKAN:Â A two-time MAWPC First Team pick, Destici leads GW in goals (73) and points (128). The junior from Turkey recorded his 200th career goal in a win over Connecticut College on Oct. 14. He currently ranks second in program history in assists (177), third in points (390) and seventh in goals (213). He enters the tournament needing 15 assists to pass Brian Mojica ('15) to become the program's all-time leader.
THE A-TEAM:Â The trio of Atakan Destici, Andrew Mavis and Andras Levai has combined for 314 points via 202 goals and 112 assists this season. All three have been honored as the MAWPC Player of the Week. Mavis ranks second on the team with 69 goals this season and enters play Friday with 189 for his career, while Levai leads the Colonials with 56 assists and has already set a new career high with 116 points.
Â
RISING ROOKIES:Â GW added seven first-years to its roster this season, and all of them have made an impact. Every member of the group has at least 10 points this fall, paced by Nick Schroeder's 36 via 23 goals and 13 assists. Henry Maas leads the rookies with 18 steals, while DJ Davis has tallied 12 field blocks to tie for the team lead with Destici.
SCOUTING THE FIELD:Â GW has defeated all seven MAWPC East clubs in the field at least once this season, including top-seeded Bucknell. The Colonials and Bison split the season series with each winning in their home pool.
The Buff and Blue picked up a victory at Messmore Aquatic Center on Sept. 23, beating Fordham, 14-7.
GW has never faced McKendree, which is in its second season of varsity competition. The Bearcats (14-11) beat Salem International, 13-12, to win the MAWPC West Region title on Nov. 4. Goalkeeper Ori Scanlon was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
WATCH THIS: Hear from head coach Barry King, Isher Gill and Maas before the MAWPCÂ Championship.
We hit the road to Fordham in a bit before kicking off the MAWPC Championship tomorrow vs. McKendree at 6 p.m. #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/ZmfPKVCxvk
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) November 15, 2018
Players Mentioned
UTL
/ Water Polo
ATT
/ Water Polo
UTL
/ Water Polo
UTL
/ Water Polo
ATT
/ Water Polo
CEN
/ Water Polo
GK
/ Water Polo
UTL
/ Water Polo
GK
/ Water Polo
GK
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