College men's water polo teams face opening weekend losses

In recent men's water polo season openers, Fresno Pacific University and Mercyhurst University faced significant defeats during invitational tournaments.

At the Bobcat Invite, Fresno Pacific fell to Santa Clara with a final score of 23-7. Despite a hat trick from Tristin Fox and goals from Ryder Stermer, Yanti Quijada, and Colton Parks, Santa Clara maintained dominance, particularly through an eight-goal surge in the third quarter.

In the Triton Invitational, Mercyhurst University lost to UC San Diego 21-4. While Ben Gavran recorded a hat trick for the Lakers, UC San Diego established an early lead with eight consecutive goals in the first quarter and maintained control throughout the match.