George Washington University
No. 2 USC
Water Polo Downed by Ranked Teams in California
8/31/2025 5:49:00 PM | Water Polo
LA JOLLA, Calif. - GW water polo concluded the Triton Invitational on Sunday with a 2-4 overall record. After starting the season 2-0 on Friday, GW dropped the remaining four matches of the weekend against highly ranked competition.Â
GW 9, No. 2 USC 23
GW was under fire early against the Trojans; USC built early separation and a lead that they held throughout the match. The Revolutionaries netted five goals in the first half, including three of Antonio Florena's four total goals, but the Revolutionaries trailed by nine at halftime. First-year Ben McDade tallied his first career goal in the second half as GW continued to battle, outscoring USC 3-2 in the third quarter, but the damage was done and the match concluded at 23-9.
GW 8, No. 6 Long Beach State 19
Eyeing an upset of the sixth-ranked team in the country, GW held a 7-6 lead through the first eight minutes, but Long Beach State was stout in the second quarter before shutting out the Revolutionaries in the second half and winning 19-8.Â
Yam Kabakov caught fire early for GW with three goals in the first quarter. Adonis Vlassis aided with two goals. Vasilije Marinkovic made seven saves.
GW 9, No. 14 UC Davis 11
GW and UC Davis played a tight match from wire-to-wire, trading goals and the lead multiple times. GW was winning 3-2 at halftime, but a four-goal run for the Aggies in the third quarter gave UC Davis an 8-5 edge. GW responded and tore off three-straight goals to tie the game at 8-8 early in the fourth quarter, but UC Davis pulled ahead down the stretch on its way to a narrow win.Â
First-years Andrea Forno and Anthony Ferneini led the attack with two goals apiece. Vlassis scored once but was effective in other ways, drawing five ejections and snatching four steals.Â
GW 12, No. 12 UC San Diego 19
GW came out slow against the hosts but stayed within striking distance in a six-goal deficit at halftime. Play between the Revolutionaries and Tritons evened out in the second half, but GW was unable to get an edge and make up ground.Â
Vlassis was the focal point of GW's offense with five goals in the finale. Vlassis also forced three exclusions, second to Forno's five exclusions drawn.
UP NEXT
GW's schedule continues on Sept. 5-6 when the Revolutionaries travel to the Princeton Invitational, where GW will face another trio of ranked opponents, including preseason No. 1 UCLA, No. 13 California Baptist, and preseason No. 18 (T) Santa Clara.Â
