Friday, September 11
Princeton, NJ
12:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
8
at
15
Princeton
Photo by: Tod Fierner
MWP | Gaels Battle Tournament Host No. 12 Tigers On Day One of Princeton Invitational
9/11/2026 3:28:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
PRINCETON, N.J. - The Saint Mary's men's water polo team fell to the 12th ranked Princeton Tigers 15-8 today to open up its first trip to the East Coast as a program. The Gaels now sit at 3-5 on the season after the hard-fought battle against Princeton, headlined by a three-goal performance from freshman Leo Hachem and a brace from freshman Hamish Ellison.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels started the match going back-and-forth with the Tigers, as attacker Leo Hachem got the party started with the first goal of the match for Saint Mary's, brining the score to 2-1 in favore of the Tigers with 4:50 to play in the first. Attacker Hamish Ellison was next, going under the near post of goalkeeper Kristóf Kovács to score. Hachem wasn't done yet, as he and Rocco Di Rosa scored back-to-back 5-meter goals to keep the Gaels locked in a tight one with the Tigers.
Sophomore Donovan Swann was the next to capitalize on a great team goal and assist from freshman Nicholas Valente, once again clawing the Gaels back within one goal at 6-5. Swann now sits at nine goals on the season for the Gaels, second-highest on the squad behind Hachem. The Gaels continued to battle and chip away at the Tigers' lead, but Princeton goalkeeper Kristóf Kovács's 13 saves in the match were enough to give Princeton the edge in the second half and bring the Gaels to 3-5 on the young campaign.
GAME NOTES
The Gaels return to action tomorrow in their first double-header since opening weekend. Saint Mary's will first take on the Wagner Seahawks, with game time scheduled for 5:00 a.m. PST. The Gaels will then take on the Mt. Saint Mary's Mountaineers at 11:00 a.m PST. Neither match will be available to stream, so be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
Don't miss a second of Saint Mary's Men's Water Polo home action! Tickets are on sale now at smcgaels.com/tickets!
#GaelsRise
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels started the match going back-and-forth with the Tigers, as attacker Leo Hachem got the party started with the first goal of the match for Saint Mary's, brining the score to 2-1 in favore of the Tigers with 4:50 to play in the first. Attacker Hamish Ellison was next, going under the near post of goalkeeper Kristóf Kovács to score. Hachem wasn't done yet, as he and Rocco Di Rosa scored back-to-back 5-meter goals to keep the Gaels locked in a tight one with the Tigers.
Sophomore Donovan Swann was the next to capitalize on a great team goal and assist from freshman Nicholas Valente, once again clawing the Gaels back within one goal at 6-5. Swann now sits at nine goals on the season for the Gaels, second-highest on the squad behind Hachem. The Gaels continued to battle and chip away at the Tigers' lead, but Princeton goalkeeper Kristóf Kovács's 13 saves in the match were enough to give Princeton the edge in the second half and bring the Gaels to 3-5 on the young campaign.
GAME NOTES
- Leo Hachem recorded three goals in a match for the first time since his six-goal match against Bucknell, who the Gaels will face once again on Sunday.
- Hamish Ellison recorded 2+ goals in back-to-back matches for the Gaels.
- Donovan Swann recorded his 9th goal of the season, now second on the Gaels behind Leo Hachem's 19 goals.
- Four different Gaels recorded a goal in today's match, including Rocco Di Rosa accounting for the Gaels' 100th goal as a program.
- Through the first eight games in program history, 15 different Gaels have found the back of the cage.
The Gaels return to action tomorrow in their first double-header since opening weekend. Saint Mary's will first take on the Wagner Seahawks, with game time scheduled for 5:00 a.m. PST. The Gaels will then take on the Mt. Saint Mary's Mountaineers at 11:00 a.m PST. Neither match will be available to stream, so be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
Don't miss a second of Saint Mary's Men's Water Polo home action! Tickets are on sale now at smcgaels.com/tickets!
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
DEF
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