The No. 14 Massachusetts men’s water polo team flexed some offensive muscle this weekend, amassing 68 goals in four games against league opponents. Contributions came from the whole roster, but senior Greg Trayer led the team with five goals and five assists.

The Maroon and White easily defeated The United States Merchant Marine Academy, 19-4, and then proceeded to beat Connecticut College by a count of 19-1.

The Minutemen had a slight hiccup against St. Francis, a team that they had been preparing for the past two weeks. But in an exciting, come-from-behind effort, UMass scored four goals in the fourth quarter to edge the Terriers, 12-11.

In the final match of the weekend set, the Maroon and White overpowered Fordham, 18-2.

The Minutemen now stand atop the Northern Division of the Collegiate Water Polo Association with a record of 9-1 (20-3 overall). UMass shares the No. 1 spot with Queens College, who the Minutemen lost to 6-5, in their only meeting of the season. Because of that loss, UMass remains behind the Gaels, due to the head-to-head tiebreaker rule employed by the CWPA.

UMass had no problems in its first two matches this past weekend.

“The [Connecticut College and USMMA] games went according to plan,” coach Russ Yarworth said. “The sign of a good team is when it wins the games it’s supposed to win.”

The Minutemen were led in the match against USMMA by senior Mike Foley (five goals), junior Justin Houck (four goals), and senior Evan Lutz and junior Ricardo Puig (three goals each).

Against Connecticut College, sophomore Dave Liebert and freshman Nick Koenemann shared the spotlight with four goals each. Junior Marcus Meyer and freshman Adam Zobler also contributed three goals apiece.

But the Minutemen found difficulty when they faced the Terriers of Saint Francis.

“We just weren’t doing the right things, but the offense was a lot better,” Yarworth said. “We were quite erratic.”

The Minutemen trailed for the majority of the game, but scored four goals in rapid fashion to take a late lead. Trayer was the star of the game, with four goals, including the clinching tally.

“I read them the riot act [after the third quarter],” Yarworth said. “And then we came out and played our best quarter of water polo this year.”

Senior Adam Foley netted three goals in the win, and seniors Carlos Ramos and Lutz each added a goal.

“The offense was there, and the defense wasn’t,” Yarworth said.

This was certainly a change for the Minutemen, who have been consistently solid on defense throughout the season. Earlier in the year, Yarworth mentioned that his team hadn’t “been able to put the rock in the net.” But that changed with this weekend’s outburst, which will prove to be an important step toward the postseason for an offense that has been quiet at best against tough opponents.

“[St. Francis] was one we had to win, and we found a way to do it,” Yarworth said.

UMass continued its winning ways into the afternoon battle with Fordham. Yarworth was able to give a break to the starters and get some of the bench players, who Yarworth affectionately refers to as “The Killer B’s,” involved.

“They were excited to be in and moving around in the water,” Yarworth said. “I was yelling at them, and they were having a good time.”

The goaltending duties in that game were split between junior Rafael Santana (six saves), and sophomore Rodrigo Gonzalez (four saves).

Along with Trayer and senior Adam Moore, J.R. VanderWall will be one of the key losses next year for the Maroon and White, and the goaltender position will be a focal point for Yarworth in the offseason With seven graduating seniors, UMass will need to see some production from the younger players next year.

Aside from the playoff ramifications of this weekend, Massachusetts also achieved a milestone that is impressive in any sport. With the Fordham victory, UMass accomplished its tenth consecutive 20-win season. This is a testament both to Yarworth, who has coached the team since its inception in 1987, and the skill of a squad that will be a contender in this year’s Eastern Championship.

The Minutemen, who have been the ultimate road warriors this year, will play their second and final home match of the regular season tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. They will face the Harvard Crimson at the Amherst College pool in their final tune-up before the playoffs, which begin with the Eastern Conference Athletic Championships at the end of the month.