University of Pécs Water Polo: Giving it All

The European University Water Polo Championship, EUSA Water Polo 2023 is already in full swing, which the Water Polo Team of the University of Pécs joined for the first time. The results so far are encouraging: the Pécs team has won five of their six games so far, they are able to play in the semi-finals today! We asked coach Gergely Lukács about the results of the UP water polo team and the atmosphere of the championship.

How did the championship go so far?

It is very interesting; it seems that the teams will be divided into two parts: Hungarians and foreigners. The Hungarian teams are very strong, they are performing outstanding in Miskolc. At the moment, the four Hungarian universities will probably make it to the top four. There are many first-class players, as EUSA rules do not restrict it, while at the Hungarian MEFOB there can only be one OB I player, and here it is practically unlimited, and even guest players can be invited from other universities within the city limits, which is quite an advantage for universities in Budapest.

What is the UP team like?

This is the first year that the water polo team of the University of Pécs participates in an international EUSA event, which is a special pleasure that the team managed to achieve this in the year of the centenary, it is a nice celebration for both the university and PEAC Athletic Club. Our team includes players from different classes: we currently have four OB I players, and the rest come from the OB II, third division champion team, so the level of preparation is different.

Now we tried to build the team in such a way that we would like to move forward day by day, put together a basic tactic that everyone can stick to, gives a chance for development. We want to form a team that fights very well and give their best for each other. It was great to see how nicely the team came together. But it is also very important that

we must not sit back now, because this did not happen by itself, but we put a lot of work into it.

What's next for the rest of the tournament?

Since we have reached the top four, we have reached our basic objective, followed by the semi-finals and placement matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If we can play the same way as a team, and all our players can do their best in their roles, our OB I players can be leaders, and players from lower divisions can rise to the challenge and some of them can perform outstandingly, then we will have every chance to beat teams with stronger rosters than us on paper.

In addition to the results, it is just as important that for these players it remains an experience of a lifetime!

Whatever the outcome, the players will remember that we fought for each other from the first moment to the last with pure strength, giving it all, and then we can look into each other's eyes with pride, and if we could even take home a medal, it would be a great.

What is the atmosphere like at the championship in Miskolc?

The atmosphere is very nice, both in the league and within our own team. The team has really come together well, this could already be seen in MEFOB, the Medical Cup and the OB II, and the OB I players have also integrated very nicely.

This water polo family from Pécs is a very nice community! The atmosphere of the whole EUSA is also great,

we talk to the members of the Pécs badminton team and the others on a daily basis, as we are accommodated in the same hotel. So, there is a sense of unity, good mood, music. This is a real university event and a really great experience.

We are preparing for the games, everyone in the pool is pushing at full strength. We also watched some of the games, we need a bit of sports professional seriousness. But on top of that, of course, it is also important to have fun and make friends, locally, nationally, and internationally. Our players get along well with domestic and foreign athletes, which really strengthens cohesion.

Mariann TÓTH

Results:

• University of Pécs – Budapest Business School (HUN): 10 : 16 | stream (14 July) »
• University of Pécs – University of Oxford (GBR): 22 : 5 | stream (15 July) »
• University of Pécs – Corvinus University of Budapest (HUN): 18 : 11 | stream (15 July) »
• University of Pécs – Delft University of Technology (NED): 21 : 5 | stream (16 July) »
• University of Pécs - University of Debrecen (HUN): 12 : 5 | stream (17 July) »
• University of Pécs - University of Bristol (GBR): 12 : 5 | stream (17 July) »

University of Pécs Water Polo Team: Attila Aranyi, Péter Buttinger, Tamás Csorba, Bence Gergő, Márton Keresztúri, Márton Lajkó, Márk Majnik, Balázs Németh, Balázs Rácz-Fodor, Patrik Reisz, Benjamin Sipos, Tamás Tóth-Gili, Ákos Varga.

You can follow the matches here »

Go for it, UP! Go UP Water Polo Team!