Men's Water Polo vs. Johns Hopkins 9-24-22

Men's Water Polo Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Balanced Golden Knights to Play Three Matches in Morgantown Crossover Weekend

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (2-7) at MORGANTOWN CROSSOVER WEEKEND
DATE:  Saturday, October 8, 2022 l Sunday, October 9, 2022
SITE:   Aquatic Center at Mylan Park l Morgantown, W.Va.
LIVE COVERAGE:  LIVE VIDEO l  LIVE STATS 

Saturday, October 8
2:40 p.m. – vs. Navy (6-8)  
 
Sunday, October 9
9:00 a.m. – vs. No. 18 Fordham (10-6)  
2:20 p.m. – vs. Wagner (5-10)
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon men's water polo team heads to West Virginia to play three Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference matches in the Morgantown Crossover Weekend at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park. The Golden Knights will play Navy on Saturday, October 8 at 2:40 p.m., then play twice on Sunday, October 9. The day begins at 9:00 a.m. against No. 18 Fordham, followed by a 2:20 p.m. contest against Wagner.

The Golden Knights have faced a demanding schedule to date and this weekend doesn't get any easier. They face a Navy team that is receiving votes in the latest Men's Varsity Top 20, followed by a rematch vs. now 18th-ranked Fordham. The Rams were No. 17 when they handed Gannon a 28-8 defeat on September 4 in the Bruno Classic.

Gannon head coach Shane Unger looks for a better showing this time around as the Golden Knights were missing several key performers due to injury in the first meeting.

Gannon comes in with a 2-7 record following last Friday's 21-11 win at Penn State Behrend. Four of those losses have come to nationally-ranked squads.
 
The Golden Knights opened the 2022 season in the Bruno Classic. The Golden Knights faced a loaded field and came away with an 0-4 record while facing three nationally-ranked teams and a fourth that was receiving votes.
 
Two weeks ago Gannon began conference play in the Conference Crossover hosted by Mercyhurst. The Golden Knights gained their first win of the season with a 20-19 triumph over Johns Hopkins before losing to Mount St. Mary's, George Washington and Bucknell. George Washington came in ranked 20th while Bucknell was receiving votes.

Senior Marty Kaverman Jr. (Erie, Pa./McDowell) paced Gannon in the win at Behrend, contributing a career-high six goals along with two assists for a career-best eight points. Eight Golden Knights scored goals as Gannon matched its season high for goals. Drago Marjanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/North Allegheny (Pa.)) finished with two goals and four assists for six points, in the process moving up to seventh in career goals with 149.
 
Scouting Navy, Fordham and Wagner
Navy and Fordham are both among the top teams in the country, with Fordham ranked 18th in the Men's Varsity Top 20 and Navy receiving votes. The Rams are 10-6, including a 28-8 win over Gannon. The Rams have won two straight games.  Five of their six losses are to nationally-ranked teams. Fordham was 26-7 last year and lost in the first round of the NCAA Championships. Navy is 6-8 and looks to snap a two-game losing streak. The Middies have lost six times to nationally-ranked squads. Wagner owns a deceiving 5-10 ledger. The Seahawks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 15-14 win over Navy last Sunday. Eight of their losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top 20.
 
Marjanovic Climbing in Career Goals, Needs One for 150
With two goals in the win over Penn State Behrend senior Drago Marjanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/North Allegheny (Pa.)) has climbed into seventh place in career goals with 149. Despite missing a pair of contests due to an injury earlier in the year he has 13 goals this season. He scored 63 a team-high 63 goals in 2019 and again led the team in 2021 with 51 goals.
 
Golden Knights in Search of Fifth Straight CWPA Div. II Championship
2021 was a monumental year for the Gannon men's water polo team. The Golden Knights posted their highest finish ever at the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championships, finishing in sixth place. In addition, Gannon claimed its fourth CWPA Division II Championship and second Mid-Atlantic Western Region Championship in three years. They would end the year with a 14-10 record.
 
Marjanovic, Mickic Returning All-Americans
Drago Marjanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/North Allegheny (Pa.)) and Vlad Mickic (Subotica, Serbia/Nikola Tesla) were both accorded honorable mention ACWPC All-American honors last year. Marjanovic led the team with 51 goals and was tied for the team lead in points (73). Mickic added 34 goals. Both received MAWPC West Region All-Conference honors, with Marjanovic named to the first team and Mickic a second-team selection. Marjanovic has 13 goals and a team-high 13 assists and has 149 career goals, good for seventh all-time. Mickic is third on the team in goals with 18 along with one assist.
 
Freshman Kotskar Paces Team in Scoring
Alex Kotskar (Voula, Greece) leads the team in scoring in the early portion of the season. The freshman from Greece has 30 goals and nine assists, with Drago Marjanovic (Belgrade, Serbia/North Allegheny (Pa.)) and Marty Kaverman Jr. (Erie, Pa./McDowell) next with 26 points. Kaverman has 16 goals and 10 assists while  Marjanovic has 13 goals and a team-high 13 assists. Ben Fribourg (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) is second on the team in goals with 20 along with four assists. The sophomore had scored just 16 goals in his career before finding the back of the net 13 times in the Conference Crossover. Vlad Mickic (Subotica, Serbia/Nikola Tesla) is third on the team in goals with 18.
 
Next for the Golden Knights
Gannon will compete in the Harvard Invitational on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16. They open play on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. with a second meeting this season with Brown, a team receiving votes in the Men's Varsity Top 20. That's followed by a rematch with Penn State Behrend at 3:00 p.m. On Sunday, Gannon plays Connecticut College at 9:00 a.m. followed by a 1:00 p.m. match with Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is ranked fifth in the Men's Varsity Division III Top 10.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Ben Fribourg

#5 Ben Fribourg

D/Util
Sophomore
Marty Kaverman Jr.

#2 Marty Kaverman Jr.

D
5' 11"
Senior
Drago Marjanovic

#18 Drago Marjanovic

D/Util.
5' 11"
Graduate Student
Business
Vladimir Mickic

#13 Vladimir Mickic

2-M
Junior
Alexandros Kotskar

#6 Alexandros Kotskar

D/Util.
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ben Fribourg

#5 Ben Fribourg

Sophomore
D/Util
Marty Kaverman Jr.

#2 Marty Kaverman Jr.

5' 11"
Senior
D
Drago Marjanovic

#18 Drago Marjanovic

5' 11"
Graduate Student
Business
D/Util.
Vladimir Mickic

#13 Vladimir Mickic

Junior
2-M
Alexandros Kotskar

#6 Alexandros Kotskar

Freshman
D/Util.