George Washington University
Wagner
Men's Water Polo Punches Ticket to MAWPC Final
11/17/2018 8:11:00 PM | Water Polo
Colonials held off Wagner on Saturday to advance
BRONX, N.Y. - George Washington men's water polo is headed back to the MAWPC Championship final for a third straight season after defeating Wagner, 16-14, in a semifinal on Saturday night at Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.
Andrew Mavis scored six goals and Andras Levai found the net five times for the second-seeded Colonials, who advance face top-seeded Bucknell on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. with the chance to claim their second straight conference title and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In a rematch of last season's championship game, GW (21-6) went back-and-forth with No. 3 Wagner (17-14) before finding the offense late to hold off the Seahawks.
GW trailed early until Finn Lillis' SportsCenter-worthy flick off a pass from Atakan Destici tied it at 2 with 11 seconds left in the opening quarter. The Colonials went ahead for good at 4-3 on Atakan Destici's goal with 5:37 left in the first half, but they had to battle the whole way to stay in front.
Mavis and Levai helped GW keep the lead in a tense contest, combining for nine goals after halftime. Wagner stayed within two throughout the second half until the high-scoring pair netted back-to-back goals for the Colonials midway through the fourth quarter. The Buff and Blue's advantage reached 16-12 on Mavis' tally with 3:18 left.
In addition to his five goals, Levai posted an assist, three steals and three ejections drawn. Destici chipped in two goals and three assists, while Lillis (two goals) and Jack Kerwin (one goal) also found the net. Henry Maas and Nick Schroeder each recorded three assists.
Austin Pyrch went the distance in net, tying his career-high with 17 saves. The First Team All-MAWPC goalkeeper also snagged a pair of steals and assisted a goal.
UP NEXT: GW will try for a repeat conference title against Bucknell, which knocked off host Fordham, 12-11, earlier in the day.
GW and Bucknell split a pair of meetings during the regular season with each winning in its home pool. The pair last met in the MAWPC Championship in the 2016 final, which was won by the Bison.
The winner of Sunday's championship advances to an NCAA play-in game, likely next weekend against the Northeast Water Polo Conference champion.
WATCH THIS: Hear from head coach Barry King, Mavis and Levai after Saturday's semifinal victory.
Hear from Head Coach Barry King, Andrew Mavis and Andras Levai after tonight's win over Wagner! #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/hZSdEU3Mah
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) November 18, 2018
GW 16, Wagner 14
GW--2-5-4-5--16
Wagner--2-4-3-5--14
GW Goals: Mavis 6, Levai 5, Destici 2, Lillis 2, Kerwin 1.
GW Assists: Destici 3, Maas 3, Schroeder 3, Davis 1, Levai 1, Pyrch 1.
GW Steals: Levai 3, Destici 2, Schroeder 1, Slaughter 1, Lillis 1.
GW Field Blocks: Levai 1, Davis 1, Destici 1, Kerwin 1, Lillis 1.
GW Ejections Drawn: Destici 3, Mavis 3, Levai 3, Maas 1.
GW Saves: Pyrch 17.
