Friday, November 22
Lewisburg, PA
7:30 PM
George Washington University
vs
Johns Hopkins
Men's Water Polo Begins Quest for Another MAWPC Title
11/20/2019 9:30:00 AM | Water Polo
Colonials open tournament Friday vs. Johns Hopkins
George Washington men's water polo vies for a third straight Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference crown this weekend at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pa.
The third-seeded Colonials start their quest Friday at 7:30 p.m. in their conference tournament opener vs. No. 6 Johns Hopkins. The winner advances to face either No. 2 Fordham or No. 7 Gannon on Saturday for a spot in Sunday's final.
LAST TIME OUT:Â Ranked No. 18 nationally, GW sits at 20-8 after winning two out of three games on the final weekend of the regular season.
After falling to Fordham at Smith Center Pool, the Colonials followed with victories over Wagner and Bucknell. They closed the weekend by knocking off the Bison, 11-10, on Nov. 10 at Kinney Natatorium behind three goals and four assists from Atakan Destici.
Destici totaled 26 points with 13 goals and 13 assists over the three games, highlighted by a career-high nine goals vs. Wagner, while Andrew Mavis finished the weekend with 16 goals, including a pair of seven-score performances to equal his career high.
MAWPC MEMORIES:Â GW has won back-to-back MAWPC titles, going 6-0 at the conference tournament over its first two seasons under head coach Barry King.
The Colonials secured the 2018 title in thrilling fashion, defeating Bucknell 12-11 in overtime in the final. With his team down a goal in the waning seconds of regulation, Destici beat the buzzer to tie the game, and Mavis scored two of GW's three goals in the extra time to help the Buff and Blue close out the memorable victory.
Mavis, Destici and goalkeeper Austin Pyrch were all named to the All-Tournament First Team.
In 2017, Mavis led the way as GW claimed its first title in program. The sophomore was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after racking up 10 goals in three victories. The Colonials knocked off Wagner, 8-5, in the final to make history.
Six current Colonials - Mavis, Destici, Matt Taylor, Jordan Blosser, Isher Gill and Andras Levai - were a part of both championship runs.
PUSHING FOR MORE:Â With a title this weekend, GW can equal the program record for wins in a season. The Colonials went 23-7 last season en route to the NCAA quarterfinals and 23-10 during the 1997 season.
QUITE A CAREER (VOLUME 1): A two-time All-American and three-time All-MAWPC selection, Destici has 486 career points to rank behind only GW Athletic Hall of Famer Glauco Souza (521) all-time.
The senior from Turkey became GW's career leader in assists last season and has added 37 more this fall, despite missing time due to injury, to push his total to 231. He also ranks fifth in program history with his 255 goals.
Defensively, Destici has left his mark, as well: He ranks among the program's all-time top five in both steals (214) and field blocks (53).
QUITE A CAREER (VOLUME 2):Â Also a two-time All-American, Mavis has 72 goals this season and enters his final MAWPC Championship with 275 scores for his career. The senior from New Jersey passed Patrick Holley (1991-94) last weekend to move into third place on the program's all-time scoring list.
Mavis is also the all-time leader in ejections drawn with 255. He owns three of GW's top-10 season totals, including his mark of 66 and counting this season (T-6th).
QUITE A CAREER (VOLUME 3): Taylor has cemented his place as one of the top netminders in GW history. The graduate student from New Zealand has stopped 331 of the 618 shots he's faced this season (.524 save pct.), breaking Steve Nadherny's single-season saves record from 1992. He's started all 28 games between the pipes and averaged 11.8 stops per contest.
After missing the 2017 season due to injury, Taylor returned to the GW net last fall and stopped 63 percent of the shots he faced in limited action. He has resumed the full-time role this season and anchored a GW defense that's allowing 10.3Â goals per game.
For his career, Taylor has piled up 793 saves, good for fourth in program history. His .541 save percentage ranks second all-time.
LEADING LEVAI: Levai has put together an outstanding junior season, pacing the Colonials in goals (81) and assists (61). The Hungary native's 142 points are already fourth in program history.
For his career, Levai has 391 points (fourth in GW history) via 220 goals (eighth) and 171 assists (third). He's also posted 147 steals over the three seasons.
BLOCK PARTY: A newcomer via Orange Coast Community College in California, Gabriele Simonti etched his name in GW history on Sept. 15 when he broke the program single-game record with seven field blocks in the 13-12 win over Princeton. The junior from Italy has amassed 28 field blocks on the season, two away from the single-season record set by Bogdan Petkovic in 2013. He also leads the Colonials in steals with 34.
CAREER YEAR:Â Jordan Blosser has saved his best for last, tallying career highs in goals (43) and ejections drawn (31) in his senior season. The California native has converted on better than 50 percent of his attempts as a Colonial, posting 113 goals on 223 attempts. He scored the 100th goal of his career as part of an three-score effort in a win over Johns Hopkins on Oct. 17.
SCOUTING THE FIELD:Â GW has defeated all seven MAWPC East clubs at least once this season, including the recent victory over top-seeded Bucknell. The Bison took the initial meeting at The St. James, 13-8, on Oct. 13, before the Colonials turned the tables in the rematch.
GW took down Johns Hopkins three times this season, most recently defeating the Blue Jays, 20-12, at The St. James on Nov. 2, boosted by four goals from Blosser.
WATCH THIS: Hear from King, Gill and Levai ahead of the MAWPC Championship.
The third-seeded Colonials start their quest Friday at 7:30 p.m. in their conference tournament opener vs. No. 6 Johns Hopkins. The winner advances to face either No. 2 Fordham or No. 7 Gannon on Saturday for a spot in Sunday's final.
LAST TIME OUT:Â Ranked No. 18 nationally, GW sits at 20-8 after winning two out of three games on the final weekend of the regular season.
After falling to Fordham at Smith Center Pool, the Colonials followed with victories over Wagner and Bucknell. They closed the weekend by knocking off the Bison, 11-10, on Nov. 10 at Kinney Natatorium behind three goals and four assists from Atakan Destici.
Destici totaled 26 points with 13 goals and 13 assists over the three games, highlighted by a career-high nine goals vs. Wagner, while Andrew Mavis finished the weekend with 16 goals, including a pair of seven-score performances to equal his career high.
MAWPC MEMORIES:Â GW has won back-to-back MAWPC titles, going 6-0 at the conference tournament over its first two seasons under head coach Barry King.
The Colonials secured the 2018 title in thrilling fashion, defeating Bucknell 12-11 in overtime in the final. With his team down a goal in the waning seconds of regulation, Destici beat the buzzer to tie the game, and Mavis scored two of GW's three goals in the extra time to help the Buff and Blue close out the memorable victory.
Mavis, Destici and goalkeeper Austin Pyrch were all named to the All-Tournament First Team.
In 2017, Mavis led the way as GW claimed its first title in program. The sophomore was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after racking up 10 goals in three victories. The Colonials knocked off Wagner, 8-5, in the final to make history.
Six current Colonials - Mavis, Destici, Matt Taylor, Jordan Blosser, Isher Gill and Andras Levai - were a part of both championship runs.
PUSHING FOR MORE:Â With a title this weekend, GW can equal the program record for wins in a season. The Colonials went 23-7 last season en route to the NCAA quarterfinals and 23-10 during the 1997 season.
QUITE A CAREER (VOLUME 1): A two-time All-American and three-time All-MAWPC selection, Destici has 486 career points to rank behind only GW Athletic Hall of Famer Glauco Souza (521) all-time.
The senior from Turkey became GW's career leader in assists last season and has added 37 more this fall, despite missing time due to injury, to push his total to 231. He also ranks fifth in program history with his 255 goals.
Defensively, Destici has left his mark, as well: He ranks among the program's all-time top five in both steals (214) and field blocks (53).
QUITE A CAREER (VOLUME 2):Â Also a two-time All-American, Mavis has 72 goals this season and enters his final MAWPC Championship with 275 scores for his career. The senior from New Jersey passed Patrick Holley (1991-94) last weekend to move into third place on the program's all-time scoring list.
Mavis is also the all-time leader in ejections drawn with 255. He owns three of GW's top-10 season totals, including his mark of 66 and counting this season (T-6th).
QUITE A CAREER (VOLUME 3): Taylor has cemented his place as one of the top netminders in GW history. The graduate student from New Zealand has stopped 331 of the 618 shots he's faced this season (.524 save pct.), breaking Steve Nadherny's single-season saves record from 1992. He's started all 28 games between the pipes and averaged 11.8 stops per contest.
After missing the 2017 season due to injury, Taylor returned to the GW net last fall and stopped 63 percent of the shots he faced in limited action. He has resumed the full-time role this season and anchored a GW defense that's allowing 10.3Â goals per game.
For his career, Taylor has piled up 793 saves, good for fourth in program history. His .541 save percentage ranks second all-time.
LEADING LEVAI: Levai has put together an outstanding junior season, pacing the Colonials in goals (81) and assists (61). The Hungary native's 142 points are already fourth in program history.
For his career, Levai has 391 points (fourth in GW history) via 220 goals (eighth) and 171 assists (third). He's also posted 147 steals over the three seasons.
BLOCK PARTY: A newcomer via Orange Coast Community College in California, Gabriele Simonti etched his name in GW history on Sept. 15 when he broke the program single-game record with seven field blocks in the 13-12 win over Princeton. The junior from Italy has amassed 28 field blocks on the season, two away from the single-season record set by Bogdan Petkovic in 2013. He also leads the Colonials in steals with 34.
CAREER YEAR:Â Jordan Blosser has saved his best for last, tallying career highs in goals (43) and ejections drawn (31) in his senior season. The California native has converted on better than 50 percent of his attempts as a Colonial, posting 113 goals on 223 attempts. He scored the 100th goal of his career as part of an three-score effort in a win over Johns Hopkins on Oct. 17.
SCOUTING THE FIELD:Â GW has defeated all seven MAWPC East clubs at least once this season, including the recent victory over top-seeded Bucknell. The Bison took the initial meeting at The St. James, 13-8, on Oct. 13, before the Colonials turned the tables in the rematch.
GW took down Johns Hopkins three times this season, most recently defeating the Blue Jays, 20-12, at The St. James on Nov. 2, boosted by four goals from Blosser.
WATCH THIS: Hear from King, Gill and Levai ahead of the MAWPC Championship.
Hear from Head Coach Barry King, Isher Gill and Andras Levai as we make final preparations for this weekend's MAWPC Championship at Bucknell! #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/IqOPg2N5Qr
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) November 21, 2019
Players Mentioned
CEN
/ Water Polo
UTL
/ Water Polo
ATT
/ Water Polo
UTL
/ Water Polo
CEN
/ Water Polo
GK
/ Water Polo
CEN
/ Water Polo
GK
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