Maribor and Kranj cruise to big wins

Day one of the fifth Alpe Water Polo League (AWL) tournament in Rovinj featured four matches. Apart from the opening clash between Koper and Vienna—won 14–8 by the Austrian side—the remaining three games ended in emphatic victories. Branik Maribor swept past Calcit Water Polo 24–5, while Calcit also fell heavily to Triglav Kranj (29–4). Hosts Delfin rounded out the day with a dominant 26–5 win over Sarajevo’s Torpedo.

Four more matches are on the schedule for Sunday. The standout fixture tips off at 11:30, when last season’s Slovenian championship finalists Branik Maribor and Ljubljana Slovan go head-to-head. Earlier, Calcit face Torpedo—both still searching for their first AWL win. At 13:00, Koper take on Rovinj, before Triglav Kranj meet Kostrena at 14:30 in a crucial battle for a place at the Final Six.

Koper-Hanna – Ströck Wien 8:14 (3:4, 3:3, 1:4, 1:3)

Koper, already out of contention for the Final Six after the regular season, put up a solid fight for two quarters. They even led 3–2 in the opening period through Dejan Lazić, before heading into the first break one goal down. The margin remained the same at halftime, despite Danilo Bulatović briefly restoring Koper’s lead at 6–5.

The decisive push came in the third quarter, when the AWL’s sixth-placed side pulled away to 11–7 with a goal from Luka Šečerović. Koper struck first in the final period via Andrija Sulić, but Vienna took control again, with Adam Mitruk scoring half of his team’s goals to seal the win.

Calcit Water Polo – Branik Maribor 5:24 (1:8, 1:6, 1:5, 2:5)

League leaders Branik Maribor settled the contest early, rattling off eight straight goals in the opening quarter to assert total dominance. Calcit’s lone reply in the period came from the penalty spot through Vane Brišnik.

The reigning Slovenian champions kept the pressure on in the remaining quarters. Apart from the goalkeepers, every Maribor player found the scoresheet. Gašper Pajnik led the way with four goals, while Maksim Zdravković Gligorovski netted twice for Calcit.

Torpedo – Delfin 5:26 (1:7, 0:7, 2:5, 2:7)

Tournament hosts Delfin were virtually home and dry after the first quarter, racing to a 6–0 lead and stretching it to 14–1 by halftime. They continued to score at will against Torpedo, who—alongside Calcit—remain the only winless team in the competition.

Gregor Čikić starred for Delfin with six goals in a comprehensive team performance.

Triglav Kranj – Calcit Water Polo 29:4 (6:1, 9:1, 7:2, 7:0)

Triglav Kranj, still fighting to secure a spot at the Final Six, produced a statement win in their rescheduled match from the fourth tournament. It was Calcit’s second heavy defeat of the day.

By midway through the second quarter, Triglav had already built a 12–2 lead, and early in the final period Jaša Kadivec—top scorer with six goals—made it 24–4. Aleksander Cerar capped the scoring just before the final buzzer, a special moment for a player who took his first water polo steps with the Kamnik club.

For Calcit, Sunday morning’s clash with Torpedo will be crucial as they continue their search for a first AWL victory.