MORGANTOWN, West Virginia – With an undefeated record in tow, the Salem men’s water polo team returned home to Morgantown this weekend to face some of the strongest competition they have faced yet on Saturday and Sunday. Salem took on Navy on Saturday evening, and then turned around and took on Washington and Jefferson and Penn State Behrend on Sunday. Salem went 2-1 on the weekend, and each game played out as follows:
Navy 17, Salem 14
The Tigers led off with arguably their toughest matchup of the season in Navy. Salem battled with the Midshipmen the whole way, and the contest was extremely close down the stretch. However, the Navy defense was able to keep the Tigers at bay to seal the victory. For Salem, Ivan Zivojinovic led the way with 5 goals, with Nikola Krstonosic and Marko Zivojinovic just behind him at 4 goals. In goal, Duarte Costa added 8 saves despite the loss.
Salem 21, Penn State Behrend 4
On Sunday morning, the Tigers were looking to rebound after a hard fought loss on Saturday evening. They did just that with a suffocating attack that consistently cut through the Lions’ defense. Nikola Krstonosic led the Tigers in scoring with 6, and Manuel Soto Estela added 4 goals as well. In goal, Goncalo Silva contributed 14 saves.
Salem 19, Washington and Jefferson 10
In the final game of the 13 game event, Salem took on a familiar foe in the Presidents of Washington and Jefferson. These teams clashed for the third time this season, and for the second time at Mylan Park. This result was much like the previous two however as the Tigers pulled out the win. The Presidents kept it close, but 3 goals a piece from Marko Zivojinovic, Ivan Zivojinovic, and Marko Jovanovic pushed the Tigers over the top. It would be Krstonosic again who led Salem in this contest with 4 goals. Between the pipes, Goncalo Silva had another strong day with 16 saves.
The Tigers will be looking to carry this momentum onward as they are set to hit the road for their next contests. They are due to play Iona, Brown, Occidental, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology next weekend as part of the Brown Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island on October 14th and 15th