CAMBRIDGE, Mass. --- Biola Men's Water Polo could not have scripted a more dramatic beginning to its weekend on the East Coast.
Senior Isaac Demski scored the game-winning goal with three seconds remaining, and freshman goalkeeper Maddox Levandusky produced the game-securing save as time expired to lift the Eagles to an 11-10 victory over MIT on Saturday morning at Blodgett Pool at Harvard University.
The thriller was the first of four games for Biola at the Harvard Invitational.
Biola established itself early, scoring four times in the opening quarter to take a 4-2 advantage. The Eagles added three more in the second and went into halftime ahead 7-3. MIT began cutting into the margin after the break, but Biola still carried an 8-5 lead into the final eight minutes.
That comfortable cushion disappeared in a wild fourth quarter.
MIT scored five times in the final period and eventually pulled even at 10-10, setting up a finish that required Biola to execute at both ends of the pool. Demski provided the answer.
With only three seconds left, the senior attacker found the back of the cage for his second goal of the game, restoring the Eagles' lead at 11-10. MIT still had one final opportunity, but Levandusky turned away the last attempt as the horn sounded to preserve the victory.
The final sequence capped a huge performance from Biola's freshman goalkeeper. Levandusky played all 32 minutes and finished with 11 saves, matching his season high. He also recorded an assist. The rookie has taken on an increasingly important role in the cage, going the distance in Biola's previous two WWPA victories over Fresno Pacific and UC Merced before again handling all 32 minutes Saturday.Â
Biola's offense was balanced throughout the morning. Demski and Noah Ryznar led the Eagles with two goals apiece, while seven other players scored once. Micah Hernandez and Kyle Seifen each handed out two assists, with Hernandez also collecting a team-best three steals.Â
Ryznar's two goals moved him another step closer to program history. The sophomore entered the Harvard Invitational with 73 goals this season after a five-goal performance at UC Merced. Saturday's pair brings him to 75, leaving him just one shy of Maxwell Osborn's Biola single-season record of 76 set in 2023.
For Demski, the dramatic winner continued a productive stretch of his own. He also scored twice with an assist in Biola's victory at UC Merced last weekend, and Saturday he again finished with two goals and an assist—none bigger than the shot with three seconds showing.Â
The Eagles are improved to 9-13 courtesy of their third win in a row. Head Coach Jens Cole's team continues the Harvard Invitational later Saturday against Connecticut (3-10) at 2:40 p.m. PT (5:40 p.m. ET) at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Connecticut recently lost 11-9 to UC Merced and 18-13 to MIT.
