THE BASICS:
 
- Scores:
No. 20 Fordham University 16, No. 6 MIT 5
No. 6 MIT 19, Mercyhurst University 8
 
- Records: MIT (1-1), Fordham (1-0), Mercyhurst (1-1)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Blodgett Pool)
 
- The Lead: The MIT men's water polo team opened the 2021 season on Saturday by splitting a pair of games at the Bruno Classic hosted by Harvard. The Engineers fell to nationally-ranked No. 20 Fordham University, 16-5, but bounced back to defeat Mercyhurst University, 19-8.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME ONE vs. Fordham:
 
- Fordham opened the game with four straight goals, however, a penalty shot by senior Miller Geschke (Los Altos, Calif.) put MIT on the board with 22 seconds left in the first quarter. The Rams replied with seven unanswered goals, spanning the second and third quarters, resulting in an 11-1 advantage.
 
- The Engineers' scoring drought ended with 1:37 remaining in the third quarter as senior John Steele (Old Greenwich, Conn.) found the back of the net after an MIT timeout. Fordham tacked on two more goals at the end of the frame, extending its lead to 13-2.
 
- The fourth quarter was a balanced affair as both squads produced three goals.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Geschke and Steele scored twice while senior Kaden DiMarco (Eugene, Ore.) also added a goal.
 
- MIT is currently tied for sixth in the CWPA Men's Varsity Division III Top 10 Poll while Fordham is No. 20 in the CWPA Men's Varsity Top 20 Poll.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME TWO vs. Mercyhurst:
 
- The Engineers opened the game with four straight goals and ended the first quarter with a 5-1 lead. Steele and DiMarco both recorded back-to-back markers for MIT.
 
- The Engineers continued to cruise in the second stanza as they outscored Mercyhurst, 6-2, en route to an 11-3 halftime advantage.
 
- MIT carried the momentum into the third quarter as its margin eventually grew to 16-5.
 
- The fourth quarter saw both teams register three goals. DiMarco capped the scoring with 36 seconds remaining.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Steele amassed six goals while Geschke contributed four. DiMarco finished with a hat trick as first-year Richard Yun (Irvine, Calif.) found the back of the net twice. Sophomore Alexander Freedline (Miami, Fla.) rounded out the Engineers with his first intercollegiate goal.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 5 with two more games to close out the Bruno Invitational. The Engineers will take on Austin College at 9:00 a.m. and then Wagner College at 2:15 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
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