WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's water polo opened the 2023 season with a split Saturday as part of the W&J Invitational inside the Henry Memorial Natatorium.

The Presidents dropped the first match by a 14-11 margin to Gannon. W&J rebounded later in the day to down Caltech by a 17-8 score to conclude Saturday's action.

Gannon 14, W&J 11
The Golden Knights opened up a 6-2 advantage after the first quarter and carried a 10-6 lead into halftime.

The Presidents trimmed the deficit to two goals late in the fourth quarter before Gannon finished off the victory with an insurance goal at the 1:11 mark of the final frame.

W&J had a balanced offensive output in the loss. Sean McClellan (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), Kailer Spicer (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing), Aidan Johnson (Nassau, Bahamas/Windsor) and Aidan Miller (Grove City, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) all finished with two goals.

Zishuo Ma (Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos) recorded 12 saves in the loss. Timothy Deutsch (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) entered the game and made two saves in goal.

W&J 17, Caltech 8

Chris Edwards (Bexley, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) led the offensive charge with four goals in the nightcap. McClellan registered his first collegiate hat trick, as he finished with three goals to back Edwards performance.

W&J led by a 6-1 margin after the first quarter before extending their lead to 9-4 at halftime. The Presidents held an 11-7 advantage after three quarters. W&J put the match away in the fourth quarter, as they outscored Caltech 6-1 over the final eight minutes.

The Presidents scored the final six goals, which included a pair of scores by Johnson. Ma and Deutsch recorded five saves apiece in the victory.

Up Next: W&J hosts Salem (10:20 a.m.) and Long Island University (3 p.m.) to wrap up the W&J Invitational on Sunday.