SANTA CLARA, CA – The St. Francis men's water polo team (5-12, 4-1 NEWPC) wrapped up its West Coast trip by going 1-2 over a three-game span on Saturday and Sunday. The Terriers concluded the road trip with a 10-9 victory over San Jose State on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 12 | Fresno Pacific – 13
- In an exhilarating game, the Terriers were down by one in the first quarter, until team captain Bogdan Kostic scored his first of four goals in the match.
- Fresno responded by finding their way to the net two more times before Will Lapkin scored his first goal, followed by another goal by Kostic to tie the contest up at 3-3.
- After gaining yet another two-goal advantage, Botond Kadar scored his two goals of the game in back-to-back fashion bringing the score back to 5-5. Kostic went on to score his third goal giving the Terriers their first lead of the game.
- The teams went on a halftime break with six goals apiece, but that was only an opportunity for Mateus Santos to score and reclaim the lead, Santos closely followed by Lapkin to give the Terriers a two-goal advantage, 8-6.
- The Sunbirds then had a five-goal streak, bringing the score to 11-8, until freshman Djorde Stanic scored his first goal of the game to make it 11-9 in favor of Fresno Pacific. The contest now being goal-for-goal, the Sunbirds and the Terriers alternately scored until the game was brought to a close. Kostic, Boris Posavec and Stanic each added one more tally for St. Francis Brooklyn. Fresno State was able to hold on to a narrow lead as they picked up a 13-12 win over the Terriers
St. Francis Brooklyn – 7 | Santa Clara – 9
- The Terriers fell behind by four goals to open up their second contest on Saturday. That's when junior lefty Tadeu Rodrigues jumped in and scored the Terriers' first goal. After the Broncos hit back, freshman Zane Dobrenko added another tally for the Terriers taking a back shot from the set position.
- Rodrigues scored his second goal of the game, cutting Santa Clara's lead to 5-3, followed by team captains Nikita Prokhin and Bogdan Kostic, each adding another tally, respectfully. The game restarted at the halftime, with both teams having registered five goals.
- In a slow third period, there were only three goals recorded, with the Broncos finding the back of the net two times, and Posavec scoring his only goal of the game for the Terriers. The third period ended at 7-6, in favor of the Broncos.
- In the fourth period, Santa Clara scored first, increasing their lead to two goals. Kostic responded with the Terriers' last goal with a little less than three minutes left on the clock. The Sunbirds scored once again with two minutes remaining until the buzzer, and the score did not change until the end. The Terriers fell to the Broncos, 9-7.
St. Francis Brooklyn – 10 | San Jose State – 9
- The Terriers took the lead with Lapkin's first goal, but the Spartans responded right away. Freshman Djorde Stanic scored his second goal for the Terriers to reclaim the lead, but the Spartans tied together four goals, to give them a 5-2 lead.
- With a comeback goal from Posavec, the Terriers began a streak of their own. Stanic scored back-to-back goals, after which Kostic added a tally, reclaiming the lead for the Terriers at 6-5.
- The Spartans came back yet again, but Lapkin's second goal tied the game at 7-7 before the Spartans got a single goal advantage yet again.
- It was in the fourth period that Kostic scored his second, then his third goal as well, which then put the Terriers out in front.
- With Lapkin's third goal, the Terriers cemented their position on top, due to a man-up, which they used by keeping the ball out of the Spartans reach. The buzzer sounded, and the Terriers were victorious by a final score of, 10-9.
UP NEXT:
The Terriers return to the East Coast to face Iona on Wednesday, October 24, at 7:30 p.m. in New Rochelle, NY.
