ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's water polo team was defeated in their final game of their inaugural 2021 season on Saturday, falling to NCAA DII opponent McKendree Bearcats by a score of 24-11. The game was the first home varsity water polo contest in school history and the first inside the newly-built Anne Greve Lund Natatorium. 

The Bearcats grabbed the first two scores of the game within the first three minutes, but the Vikings tallied one back on a score from James Sutton at just under the three-minute mark. McKendree answered with three goals in the final 1:45 of the first quarter to lead 5-1 after eight minutes of action.

It was a much more back-and-forth affair in the second quarter as Augie produced more goals (5) in the second period alone than they did the entire 32 minutes of their first meeting with McKendree back in October. Five different Vikings players tallied a score in the second quarter, capped off by Sutton's second of the half. The Bearcats held a plus-one advantage in the frame and took an 11-6 advantage into halftime intermission.

The Bearcats posted their best period of play in the third, posting a 7-1 margin over the Vikings to extend their lead. Colin McDowell earned his second score of the game during the third. McKendree closed out the fourth with a 6-4 advantage on their way to the 13-point victory. Sutton tallied one more goal in the final quarter to end his afternoon with a team-high three goals.

Following the contest, head coach Ryan Pryor and his team recognized two seniors in Andrew Oliger and Harris Dibek, who are a part of the program's first-ever senior class.

The Vikings end the 2021 season with a 4-12 record.