LEWISBURG, PA. (Sept. 15, 2017) – The Salem International University (SIU) Tigers men's water polo team lost to the George Washington University (GWU) Colonials 18-10 in its opening match at the Bucknell Invitational.

The Colonials struck early, scoring the first of six first-quarter goals roughly five minutes into the match and never looked back.

"We came out flat and that was definitely evident. It took us about a quarter to get into the game," Head Coach Rob Bullion said of the Tigers' early 2-6 first quarter deficit. "We played with them the rest of the game, but couldn't overcome the slow start."

Salem's defense failed to pressure George Washington early, ceding a handful of uncontested shots on goal. Offensively, the Tigers were stagnant, allowing the defense to set and form a wall around the net.

The Tigers settled in the second quarter, picking up their defense, allowing SIU to transition into more offensive opportunities. Freshman Petar Leontijevic led Salem with three goals on seven shots and one assist. Three other Salem players scored two goals each, with junior Mateo Kozomara scoring two in the fourth quarter. Freshman goalie David Romero had nine saves against 27 shots on goal.

"This weekend is a great opportunity for the team to see high-level competition to prepare for the conference play," Bullion said. "Doing the right things against good teams will go a long way."

Freshman Andras Levai led GWU with four goals, scoring three in the second half.

With the loss, SIU falls to 2-4 on the season. George Washington University improve to 4-3.

The Tigers will resume play tomorrow with two matches, facing Harvard University at 2 p.m., and La Salle University at 7 p.m. SIU will close out its Bucknell Invitational run with matches against Bucknell University at 1 p.m. and Wagner at 4:45 p.m.

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