ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon men's water polo team scored five unanswered goals in the final five minutes but could not overcome a seven-goal deficit as the Golden Knights fell to crosstown rival Mercyhurst, 18-16, on Senior Day Saturday morning at Hallman Aquatics Center.
Prior to the contest, Gannon recognized four seniors for their contributions to the program:
Hewson Morphy (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep),
Dominic Demeritte (Nassau, Bahamas/Blake Academy),
Nathaniel Castellon (Eastvale, Cal./Eleanor Roosevelt) and
Petar Markovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sports High School of Belgrade). The senior class combined for five goals in the contest, including three from Markovic.
Nikiforos Liantziris (Athens, Greece/1o EPAL Zografou) led the Golden Knights with four goals and three assists, while
Rajmund Farsang (Eger, Hungary/Neumann Janos Gimnazium) finished with three goals and six assists to tie his career-best nine points in a single game. Markovic added three goals as Gannon dropped to 10-10 overall.
The Golden Knights trailed 18-11 with 5:21 remaining before scoring five consecutive goals to pull within two in the closing minute. Mercyhurst improved to 3-24 with the victory.
THE GAME FACTS
Score: Mercyhurst 18, Gannon 16
Records: Gannon (10-10), Mercyhurst (3-24)
Location: Hallman Aquatics Center – Erie, Pa.
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
THE KNIGHT CAP
- Celebrating Senior Day: Gannon recognized Hewson Morphy (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), Dominic Demeritte (Nassau, Bahamas/Blake Academy), Nathaniel Castellon (Eastvale, Cal./Eleanor Roosevelt) and Petar Markovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sports High School of Belgrade) prior to Saturday's contest. Three of the four seniors found the back of the net, while Morphy saw action in goal.
- Liantziris Leads the Attack: Nikiforos Liantziris (Athens, Greece/1o EPAL Zografou) paced the Golden Knights with four goals and three assists for seven points. He also recorded three steals.
- Farsang Ties Career Best: Rajmund Farsang (Eger, Hungary/Neumann Janos Gimnazium) registered three goals and six assists to tie his career-best nine points in a single game. He also drew four exclusions.
- Volant Dishes Out Five Assists: Victor Volant (Fuveau, France/Font d'Aurumy) recorded five assists and added one goal to finish with six points against Mercyhurst. He also recorded one steal.
- Fast Start: Demeritte opened the scoring just 1:41 into the contest before Mercyhurst answered with two consecutive goals. Farsang and Liantziris later scored to give Gannon a 3-2 advantage, but the Lakers responded with three straight goals. Michael McGarry (Erie, Pa./McDowell) scored with one second remaining to cut the deficit to 5-4 after the opening quarter.
- Mercyhurst Pulls Away: The Lakers opened the second quarter with four consecutive goals to extend their lead to 9-4. Markovic ended the run with a power-play goal, but Mercyhurst added two more scores before Victor Volant (Fuveau, France/Font d'Aurumy) and Liantziris found the net in the final 19 seconds to make it 11-7 at halftime.
- Third-Quarter Battle: Liantziris, Markovic and Farsang each scored during the third period, but Mercyhurst maintained its advantage with four goals of its own to take a 15-10 lead into the final eight minutes.
- Fourth-Quarter Comeback: After Mercyhurst extended its advantage to 18-11 with 5:21 remaining, Gannon mounted a furious rally. Liantziris and Markovic converted power-play opportunities before Nikita Rudoi (Sabadel, Spain/Jaume Viladoms) scored consecutive goals just 31 seconds apart. Farsang added another power-play goal with 36 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 18-16, but the Golden Knights were unable to complete the comeback.
- Seniors Contribute: Markovic finished with three goals and three drawn exclusions, while Demeritte and Castellon each added a goal and an assist. Morphy recorded one save and a steal in 9:37 of action.
- By the Numbers: Gannon outshot Mercyhurst 35-28 and finished with 17 assists and 11 steals. Rudoi added two goals, while Volant registered one goal and five assists for six points. Bator Mohacsi (Budapest, Hungary/ELTE Apáczai Csere János Gyakorló Gimnázium és Kollégium) recorded four saves in goal.
Up Next
Gannon concludes play at the WWPA Erie Classic on Sunday, November 8, when the Golden Knights face McKendree at Hallman Aquatics Center.
The contest is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and marks the final regular-season match before the WWPA Championships, scheduled for November 20–22 in La Mirada, California.
This story was written using the support of AI.
