Augustana men’s water polo fans were treated to a special occasion in their last win, an event filled with more than one reason to celebrate. Not only did the Vikings steal a win against winless McKendree University, but above all else, it was a wonderful celebration of the senior class. 

Augustana senior Henry Sothern knew what a home win would mean for this Vikings team, especially for the seniors getting their last go in their home pool.

“This win means something special, especially to the seniors, since we haven’t had many opportunities to play in that pool,” Southern said. “Being the first graduating class means something a little bit deeper. It feels like we’ve built this pool out of the ground and helped build this program.”

The afternoon kicked off with the matchup between visiting McKendree University and Augustana. The stumbling Bearcats shocked the Vikings with a 5-3 lead as the end of the first half drew near. Augustana was able to pile on three more goals to regain the lead, but it was clear that the home crowd, including Sothern, the game was closer than expected. 

“We were confident heading into it,” Sothern said. “I think some guys ended up being a little bit overconfident and got into their own heads, and I think that’s why the game was so close.” 

The second period saw no team walking away with an easy win. Back-to-back scores from the Bearcats gave them the lead before sophomore Alden Brinkmeier put one in to enter the fourth period deadlocked at 7-7. 

Nearly halfway through the final period, McKendree found the net to put the Vikings at risk of losing what would be a deflating loss for the team with Nationals hopes. Senior Lucas Osborn felt like the Vikings had suffered a severe blow and knew that no response was not an option.

“In the course of a game, when you get punched in the mouth and you’re not expecting it, how do you respond?” Osborn said.

The Vikings answered with around 2 minutes remaining when Augustana junior Oskar Bannister tossed in his second penalty shot of the match, drawing the Vikings even with time quickly running out. It only took 40 seconds before the Vikings saw senior Colin McDowell toss in the game-winning goal to seal a senior day victory in the final minutes of a back-and-forth match. 

“That was a special moment,” McDowell said. “It felt good to get that last goal in there and hold them off at the end. I felt proud of my teammates, getting us to that point in a back-and-forth game.”

The senior day celebration then kicked off. This senior class was the first recruiting class for the Augustana men’s water polo program, a special moment for all involved. The crowd more than showed out, as friends and family of the program gathered from coast to coast together to show their support for a team that didn’t even exist five years ago. Coach Ryan Pryor noted that this support never dwindles, and the love for the Vikings never falters.

“Water polo at the collegiate level is very spread out geographically, and we’re a little isolated, so we don’t get many opportunities to play at home this year,” Pryor said. “The team and I always want to perform well for the home crowd. We’ve always had tremendous support at our home games, and so that’s important to us.” 

Augustana was a program sold to players as nothing more than a dream. It lacked a fully built facility for the players to visit on their trips to Augustana. Despite that, seven players bought into that dream, and because of that, they have formed a program that has rattled off five wins in a row, now sits at 9-5 in its fourth year of existence, and has no plan of looking back. 

“Our freshman year, we were still trying to establish what Augustana water polo was going to be,” Osborn said. “Now as seniors, we’re trying to maintain that culture and instill that in the next generation, and we hope they do the same.”