MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Nikiforos Liantziris (Athens, Greece) and Alexandros Kotskar (Voula, Greece/Athinaiki Agogh) scored key goals in the fourth quarter as the Gannon men's water polo team rallied to a 15-14 win over Long Island on Sunday in GU's final match of the Salem Open.
 
Coach Zarko Sadikovic's Gannon squad finished the day with a 2-0 record and closed the two-day event with a 3-1 mark as the Golden Knights improved to 5-2 on the season. Earlier on Sunday, Gannon claimed a comfortable 16-7 victory over Toronto.
 
 
What happened:
 
Gannon trailed LIU 9-6 at the half and 11-7 late in the third period, but the Knights responded with four consecutive goals. Rajmund Farsang (Eger, Hungary) and Dillon Shaw (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline) scored to trim the lead to 11-9 before Petar Markovic (Belgrade, Serbia) tallied back-to-back goals late in the quarter to knot the score at 11.
 
Long Island struck red early in the fourth quarter to a take a 12-11 lead. Kotskar tied the game and quickly gave GU a 13-12 edge. Liantziris then scored twice to provide Gannon with a 14-12 lead and a 15-13 advantage.
 
In the matchup with Toronto, the teams were tied 3-3 before Gannon went on a 6-0 run the second period to take a 9-3 halftime lead. The Knights were never threatened again as they led 13-4 going into the fourth quarter.
 
 
By the numbers:
 
Markovic and Alexandros Kotskar (Voula, Greece/Athinaiki Agogh) led GU with three goals apiece in the win over Toronto as nine Golden Knights scored. Ben Fribourg (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), Victor Volant (Fuveau, France), and Liantziris added two goals apiece. Farsang, Shaw, Dominic Demeritte (Nassau, Bahamas/Blake Academy), and Nathaniel Castellon (Eastvale, Cal./Eleanor Roosevelt) added one goal apiece for Gannon.
 
Fribourg and Liantziris paced Gannon with two assists apiece against Toronto.
 
Alvaro Marco (Madrid, Spain/IES Ortega y Gasset) made seven saves in goal for Gannon.
 
Against LIU, Liantziris recorded four goals and two assists to power GU's offensive attack. Kotskar added a hat trick, while Markovic, Fribourg, and Farsang had two goals apiece. Volant and Shaw also scored.
 
Marco made four saves, and Bator Mohacsi (Budapest, Hungary) had five saves in a clutch relief role for Gannon.
 
 
What's ahead:
 
Gannon will play Wagner on Friday at 7:20 p.m. in the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pa.