#19 Water Polo Drops Two in Final Day of Princeton Invitational
Sept. 15, 2008
Princeton, NJ - The #19 Brown men's water polo team (2-3) ended its weekend at the Princeton Invitational at DeNunzio Pool with a 14-9 loss to Princeton, and an 12-4 loss to Stanford. Goalkeeper Kent Holland (Orinda, CA) played solid in both games, picking up nine saves against Princeton, and 12 against Stanford.
Against Princeton, the game was tight in the first half, as the Bears and Tigers went goal-for goal. Bruno took a 5-4 lead late in the first half, but Princeton's Eric Vreeland found the back of the net with two seconds left in the half to send the game to the break at 5-5.
Princeton picked up the pressure in the third, forcing the Bears into six turnovers that led the Tigers to five goals. Brown couldn't recover from its deficit, as it scored just one goal in the third. Bruno went on to score three goals in the fourth, but allowed Princeton to four goals for a 14-9 victory.
"We had a breakdown on our offensive end in the third quarter and it cost us the game," said Head Coach Felix Mercado.
Leading he scoring was senior Grant LeBeau (San Diego, CA) with five goals, followed by sophomore Gordon Hood (Carslbad, CA) with two. Senior Nico Fort (Miami, FL) and senior Mike Gartner (San Jose, CA) each chipped in with one. Holland recorded nine saves in net.
The Bears took an early 2-0 lead against Stanford by converting on two power plays. But the Cardinals came back to tie it at the end of the first quarter, 2-2. While Bruno was creating power play opportunities on offense, Stanford's defense was able to hold off the Bears. Holland kept the game close in the first half by recording 12 saves, which included three fast break saves for Bruno.
Brown went scoreless during the second and third quarters, as the Cardinals scored six. Bruno's offense answered with just two goals in the fourth, while Stanford scored another three to pick up a 12-4 win.
"Kent (Holland) was unbelievable in the first half," said Mercado. "I think we showed that we are as good as anyone in our conference and overall this weekend was a great beginning to our season."
Senior Hank Weintraub (Los Angeles, CA), sophomore Corey Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA), sophomore Bandon Yoshimura (Haverford, PA), and Mike Gartner each scored a goal in the loss, as Holland earned 12 saves in goal, and freshman Max Lubin (Beverly Hills, CA) tallied six saves in goal as well.
"Take away the third quarter of the Cal Baptist and Princeton games and we can easily be 4-1 right now," said Mercado. "I think it is easier to learn from losses, and our team is focused on improving and correction our mistakes. But overall, its been a very successful weekend."
