Brown Water Polo Defeats No. 11 St. Francis, 9-8

Sept. 27, 2008

New London, CT - The Brown men's water polo team earned a thrilling 9-8 victory over No. 11 St. Francis College on Saturday afternoon at Connecticut College. Sophomore Gordon Hood (Carlsbad, CA) tallied three goals, while junior goalkeeper Kent Holland (Orinda, CA) made nine saves in net.

The scoring was even during the first quarter, as both Brown and St. Francis combined for three goals a piece. The Terriers picked up two goals in the second quarter, and held Bruno scoreless to head into halftime with a 5-3 lead.

The Bears came roaring back in the third to outscore the Terriers 5-2 to take an 8-7 lead. Brown was able to score one more goal in the fourth while holding St. Francis to just one goal to earn the win.

Senior Mike Gartner (San Jose, CA) continued his dominant play in the post by drawing seven ejections, while senior Hank Weintraub (Los Angeles, CA) chipped in with two goals and three assists.

"We played a very good defensive game and were able to convert on some opportunities in the second half to grab momentum," said Head Coach Felix Mercado. "It wasn't a perfect game, but for the first time all season we played four quarters of intense water polo.

Also scoring for the Bears was sophomore Corey Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA) with two goals, and senior Grant LeBeau (San Diego, CA) and Mike Gartner with one goal a piece.

Up next, the Bears will travel to Cambridge to challenge Harvard University at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 1.