LEWISBURG, Maryland - Since the Salem men's water polo program has had some time off since the Navy Open, they were chomping at the bit for some action at this weekend's event, namely the Bucknell Invitational. They were scheduled to take on the Mercyhurst Lakers in their morning contest, and then they took on the Wagner Seahawks in the second game of the season. The Tigers took the morning game 21-12 over Mercyhurst, but fell in the afternoon to Wagner 18-14. The games played out as follows:

Salem 21, Mercyhurst 12

In game 1, Salem controlled the game from the start as the Tiger offensive efficiency was too much for the Lakers to handle. After 1 quarter, the Tigers led 6-4, and they grew that lead to 14-7 at the halftime break. In the second half, Salem was fueled by excellent defensive play from Goncalo Silva in the center defender position with 2 steals and a block, even though it was outside his regular role of goalkeeper. With the efforts of Silva, Salem cruised to the 21-12 win. The stars of this contest were Marko Zivojinovic and his brother, Ivan Zivojinovic, who each contributed 7 goals a piece. The rest of the scoring was done by Nikola Krstonosic with 4 goals and Tristan McKay with 3 goals. Duarte Costa also had an impressive game in goal with 9 saves.

Wagner 18, Salem 14

In game 2, the Tigers had a tough task in front of them as they faced off with a strong Wagner team. The Tigers fell behind early, but clawed back into the game after the halftime break to try to close the gap. In the fourth, Salem tried to complete their comeback, but could not quite overcome the Seahawk advantage. They would ultimately fall 18-14. On the stats sheet, however, the Tigers were led by Marko Zivojinovic again with 5 goals. Nikola Krstonosic and Ivan Zivojinovic each added 4 goals as well. In goal, Goncalo Silva played well with 7 saves and a steal. 

The Tigers will be right back in action tomorrow as they are slated to take on Mount Saint Mary's for the second time this season at 10:40 am, and then they are slated to take on Fordham at 2:40 pm. Both games will be the final two legs of Salem's contests at the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Maryland.