Scoreboard

Breelyn Craig, McKendree Sports Information

Men's Water Polo 11/20/2021 6:38:00 PM Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Golden Knights Post First-Ever Win on Second Day of Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship, Play Bucknell in Fifth Place Game

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Vlad Mickic (Subotica, Serbia /Nikola Tesla) scored six goals to lead Gannon to a 13-9 win over sixth-seed Johns Hopkins on Saturday afternoon in the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship. The Golden Knights, seeded seventh and now 14-9, won for the first time on the second day of the tournament. They will now return to the pool at Lejeune Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., facing fourth-seed Bucknell in the fifth-place game.

Gannon is making its third appearance in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship, previously finishing seventh in 2017 and 2019. They play for fifth place for the first time.

After seeing their six-game winning streak snapped on Friday night in a 20-13 loss to second-seed Navy, the Golden Knights jumped out to an early lead and never trailed after that. Johns Hopkins opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the match, but a low-scoring first quarter saw Gannon score the next two goal for a 2-1 lead after eight minutes.

Mickic knotted the game at 1-1 with 3:45 remaining in the period, and Drago Marjanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/North Allegheny (Pa.)) gave Gannon the lead for good when he scored less than a minute later.
The Golden Knights made it three straight goals when Mickic found the back of the cage at 7:12 of the second quarter. The two teams would exchange goals the rest of the half, with Tony Squeglia (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and Mickic accounting for goals to give Gannon a 5-3 lead at intermission.

The Cardinals cut the lead in half to 5-4 with a goal at the 6:40 mark of the third quarter, but the Golden Knights would not be denied. They would score four of the next five goals to take a 9-5 advantage with 2:31 left in the quarter. Gannon scored back-to-back goals courtesy of Mickic and Squeglia. After Johns Hopkins scored at 4:18, Robert Bolmanski (Fairview, Pa./McDowell) found paydirt twice. The MVP of the Mid-Atlantic Conference West Region scored 36 seconds apart to boost the edge to 9-5 at 2:31. The period would end with Gannon holding a 10-7 lead, with Ethan Hamp (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) accounting for the tenth goal.

The Gannon defense did the rest, holding the Cardinals to just two goals in the final eight minutes. Mickic would score the first two goals of the period, the latter at 4:32 for a 12-8 lead. Johns Hopkins closed the gap to 12-9 with 1:27 remaining, but 22 seconds later John Vieira (Erie, Pa/Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (McDowell)) tacked on an insurance goal for the Knights.

In addition to Mickic's six goals, Bolmanski and Squeglia contributed two goals apiece. Marjanovic, Hamp and Vieira each added a goal.

Jacob Hollo (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and Alvaro Marco (Madrid, Spain/IES Ortega y Gasset) shared time in goal. Hollo played the first half and was credited with 10 saves, while Marco played the final 16 minutes and had a pair of saves.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#8 Robert Bolmanski: Senior; Biology

#12 Ethan Hamp: Redshirt Senior; Criminal Justice

#1 Jacob Hollo: 6' 1"; Junior

#18 Drago Marjanovic: 5' 11"; Senior; Business

#9 Tony Squeglia: Redshirt Senior; Criminal Justice

#10 John Vieira: Senior; Pre-Medicine

#1 Alvaro Marco: Freshman

#13 Vladimir Mickic: Junior

Players Mentioned

#8 Robert Bolmanski
: Senior; Biology

#12 Ethan Hamp
: Redshirt Senior; Criminal Justice

#1 Jacob Hollo
: 6' 1"; Junior

#18 Drago Marjanovic
: 5' 11"; Senior; Business

#9 Tony Squeglia
: Redshirt Senior; Criminal Justice

#10 John Vieira
: Senior; Pre-Medicine

#1 Alvaro Marco
: Freshman

#13 Vladimir Mickic
: Junior