BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Gannon men's water polo team split a pair of games on Saturday during the opening day of the Salem Invitational at The Bridge Aquatics Center, defeating Washington & Jefferson 19-9 before falling to George Washington 15-8.
The Golden Knights used a seven-goal opening quarter to take control against Washington & Jefferson and received goals from nine different players in the victory. Nikiforos Liantziris (Athens, Greece/1o EPAL Zografou) then scored five times in the nightcap against George Washington as Gannon finished the day with a 4-4 overall record.
THE GAME FACTS
Game One
Score: Gannon 19, Washington & Jefferson 9
Records: Gannon 4-3
Location: The Bridge Aquatics Center – Bridgeport, W.Va.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026
Game Two
Score: George Washington 15, Gannon 8
Records: Gannon 4-4
Location: The Bridge Aquatics Center – Bridgeport, W.Va.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026
THE KNIGHT CAP
Game One – Gannon 19, Washington & Jefferson 9
Fast Start: Gannon jumped out to a 7-0 advantage before Washington & Jefferson scored its first goal late in the opening quarter. The Golden Knights led 7-2 after eight minutes and carried a 10-3 advantage into halftime.
Balanced Scoring: Nine Golden Knights scored at least once, led by Petar Markovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sports High School of Belgrade) with four goals. Victor Volant (Fuveau, France/Font d'Aurumy) added three, while Mateja Zjacic (Belgrade, Serbia/High School of Electrical Engineering "Nikola Tesla"), Rajmund Farsang (Eger, Hungary/Neumann Janos Gimnazium), Callum Snider-Mills (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), Nikiforos Liantziris (Athens, Greece/1o EPAL Zografou) and Nikita Rudoi (Sabadel, Spain/Jaume Viladoms) each scored twice.
Markovic Leads the Way: Markovic scored four times on five shots while also recording two drawn exclusions, a steal and a field block. He scored twice in the second quarter and twice more in the fourth.
Five-Point Performances: Liantziris and Volant each finished with five points. Liantziris totaled two goals and three assists, while Volant added three goals and two assists.
Creating Opportunities: Michael McGarry (Erie, Pa./McDowell) dished out three assists and added a goal for four points, while Gannon finished with 12 assists on its 19 goals.
Defensive Pressure: Volant led the Golden Knights with four steals as Gannon totaled 10 as a team. The Golden Knights also won all four sprints.
Split Time in Goal: Bator Mohacsi (Budapest, Hungary/ELTE Apáczai Csere János Gyakorló Gimnázium és Kollégium) and Hewson Morphy (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) each played 16 minutes in goal and made six saves apiece. Mohacsi allowed three goals in the first half before Morphy surrendered six in the second.
Game Two – George Washington 15, Gannon 8
Strong Opening Quarter: Gannon took a 3-2 lead after the first quarter behind three goals from Liantziris. He scored at 6:42, 3:33 and 2:53 to account for all of the Golden Knights' offense in the period.
Liantziris Powers the Attack: Liantziris finished with a game-high five goals on 10 shots and added an assist for six points. He scored four of Gannon's first five goals.
GW Pulls Away: After trailing 3-2 following the opening quarter, George Washington outscored Gannon 9-2 over the second and third periods to build an 11-5 advantage entering the fourth.
Fourth-Quarter Finish: Gannon scored three times in the final period, getting goals from Liantziris, Giacomo Peretti (Verona, Italy/Liceo G. Fracastoro) and Dominic Demeritte (Nassau, Bahamas/Blake Academy).
Farsang and Zjacic Distribute: Rajmund Farsang (Eger, Hungary/Neumann Janos Gimnazium) and Mateja Zjacic (Belgrade, Serbia/High School of Electrical Engineering "Nikola Tesla") each recorded two assists and finished with two points.
Mohacsi Busy in Goal: Mohacsi played all 32 minutes and recorded 15 saves while facing 37 George Washington shots. He also led Gannon with four steals.
UP NEXT
Gannon continues play at the Salem Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 13 at The Bridge Aquatics Center.
This story was written using the support of AI.
