Gannon head coach Don Sherman

ERIE, Pa. -- The Gannon men's water polo team pulled away from Queens (N.Y.) in the fourth quarter and rolled to a 21-15 victory Saturday afternoon in the Division II Eastern Championships hosted by Gannon University at the Carneval Athletic Pavilion. The Golden Knights will face Mercyhurst in the title match at 4 p.m. The Lakers earned a 23-18 overtime victory against Queens earlier in the day.

Gannon and Queens played to a 4-4 stalemate after one quarter, before Gannon took an 11-8 lead into the half. Trailing 8-6, the Golden Knights scored five unanswered goals before the second quarter horn sounded. Michael Piper (Houston, Texas/Clear Lake) ignited the run, scoring with 3:28 left in the half.

Five different players scored during the blitz. John Krakowski's (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) goal with 37 seconds on the clock sent the Golden Knights into the break with the momentum.

The two teams started the second half as they did the first. Both teams scored six goals each in the third quarter. The Golden Knights then out-scored the visiting Knights 4-1 in the final eight minutes to seal the victory.

Greg Naranjo (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) led the offensive attack with six goals. Krakowski, Ben Syme (Victoria, B.C./Claremont Secondary) and Dmitriy Simonoff (Vernon Hills, Ill./Stevenson) added hat tricks.

Piper and Jamison Anton (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) chipped in two goals each. Greg Nelson (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) and Kenny Milburn (Camp Hill, Pa./Cumberland Valley) completed the scoring with one goal apiece. Neal Zoellick (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) recorded 11 saves in goal.

Gannon improved to 2-3 overall while Queens dropped to 1-5. The Golden Knights host Mercyhurst later today at 4 p.m. for the 2009 Division II Eastern Championship.

Gannon Men's Water Polo Box Score
Division II Eastern Championships
Saturday, September 12, 2009

Team (1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - Final)
Queens (4 - 4 - 6 - 1 - 15)
Gannon (4 - 7 - 6 - 4 - 21)

Gannon Goals (21)
Greg Naranjo (6)
John Krakowski (3)
Ben Syme (3)
Dmitriy Simonoff (3)
Michael Piper (2)
Jamison Anton (2)
Greg Nelson (1)
Kenny Milburn (1)

Gannon Goalkeeper
Neal Zoellick - 11 saves

Queens (15)
Srdan Milic (5)
Uros Dzelebdzic (4)
Pearce Selleck (4)
Joshua Tatro (1)
Guilherme Cordovil (1)

Release courtesy Gannon Athletic Communications