BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The MIT water polo team could not hold off late-game rallies by Long Island University and Iona as the Engineers dropped two tough NWPC games on Sunday afternoon.
 
THE BASICS:

• Score: LIU 15, MIT 12; Iona 19, MIT 14
• Records: MIT (3-8 Overall, 0-3 NWPC), LIU (6-9, 1-2 NWPC), Iona (7-9 Overall, 2-3 NWPC)

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. LIU

• Sophomore Rick Lundh (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) opened the scoring for MIT, but LIU quickly got even. With the game tied at two, the Sharks scored the next two goals to go up 4-2 before junior Adam Ivatorov (Rockaway, N.Y.) found the back of the net to bring the Engineers to within one at the end of the first.
• The hosts opened the second with a goal, but sophomore William Ewald (Greenwich, Conn.) got MIT to within one. LIU took advantage of a six-on-five opportunity to take a two-score lead, but Lundh and sophomore Kieran Kearns (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) scored back-to-back goals to cut the LIU lead to 8-7 after 16 minutes of play.
• Ewald tied the game up with a six-on-five goal as the teams went back-and-forth throughout the third quarter. Ewald sent the teams into the fourth quarter tied at 11 with his penalty shot goal.
• The Sharks outscored MIT 4-1 in the final quarter to earn the 15-12 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Ewald led MIT with four goals. Lundh finished with three and Ivatorov added two goals and led the way with three steals.
• Kearns and sophomore Kunal Rajadhyax (Vernon Hills, Ill.) each dished out three assists.
• First year Joshua Woren (Aurora, Colo.) made eight saves in net. 

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. IONA

• The two teams played a high-scoring back-and-forth first quarter with both scoring six goals in the first eight minutes of play. Ivatorov and Kearns both tallied two goals in the quarter. The Engineers held a two-goal lead until the Gales scored twice with under a minute left to tie it.
• Iona scored back-to-back goals to take a 9-8 lead, but Lundh got MIT even on a six-on-five chance with 1:53 left. The hosts got a goal from freshman Hugh Coyle (Annapolis, Md.) with 36 seconds left to take a one-goal lead into the break.
• Lundh pulled MIT even at the 7:09 mark, but Iona later used a 3-0 run to go up 15-11. Ivatorov scored to end the run and bring MIT to within three heading into the final quarter.
• The Gales held off the Engineers with four more goals in the fourth to take the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Ivatorov and Lundh each tallied four goals in the game.
• Kearns led the Engineers with three assists.
• Freshman Pavle Musikic (Belgrade, Serbia) tallied four goals for Iona.

UP NEXT:

• The Engineers will play their first home match of the season when they welcome Brown to the Zesiger Center Pool for an 11:00 AM match on Saturday, October 12.    

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