Water Polo Picks up Two Wins Against Queens and Iona
Oct. 12, 2008
New Rochelle/Flushing, NY - The #18 Brown men's water polo team (9-5, 6-0 CWPA) were able to notch two victories on Saturday. The Bears came from behind to earn a 13-12 victory over Iona, and then defeated Queens, 14-11.
Iona jumped out to a great start, taking an early 9-6 lead heading into halftime. Bruno fought back against the Gaels and hold them to just three goals in the second half while Brown's offense exploded for seven to beat Iona in its home pool, 13-12. Rookie Max Lubin (Beverly Hills, CA) played the shallow end goal and picked up three saves, while junior goalkeeper Kent Holland (Orinda, CA) handled deep water responsibilities and also tallied three saves.
Senior Mike Gartner (San Jose, CA) and sophomore Gordon Hood (Carlsbad, CA) paced the offense by scoring five and four goals, respectively. "We started sluggish and Iona jumped on us quickly," said Head Coach Felix Mercado. "Playing in smaller pools takes away our ability to use our speed, so we had to resort to having a little more patience than normal. Obviously our defense in the second half was the key."
Also scoring a goal for Bruno was senior Hank Weintraub (Los Angeles, CA), junior Corey Schwartz (Los Angeles, CA), senior Nico Fort (Miami, FL) and senior captain Grant LeBeau (San Diego, CA).
Against Queens College, Brown found itself in a shootout with the Knights. Losing two key starters early, Gartner and Weintraub due to foul trouble, Bruno was led by LeBeau, who exploded for six goals. Also contributing in key moments was sophomore Brandon Yoshimura (Haverford, PA), who added two assists and five drawn ejections. Fort also added one goal and four assists en route to Bruno's 14-11 victory.
Lubin picked up four saves, while Holland earned four as well. "The best thing about this team is that we find ways to win games," said Holland.
Brown looks to wrap up League play with an undefeated record for the first time in school history with its home game against Connecticut College on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. at Wheaton.
