Men's Water Polo Earns 15-10 Senior Night Win over M.I.T.

Oct. 31, 2008

Norton, MA - The four seniors on the Brown men's water polo team were able to help lead the squad to a thrilling 15-10 victory over the M.I.T. Engineers at Balfour Natatorium on Thursday evening. Seniors Mike Gartner (San Jose, CA), Grant LeBeau (San Diego, CA), Nico Fort (Miami, FL) and Hank Weintraub (Los Angeles, CA) each contributed in the win, as they played in their final home match of the season.

Brown got off to a great start, scoring four goals to MIT's two in the first eight minutes of play, but the Engineers were able to hold Bruno to just one goal in the second quarter and brought it within one heading into the half.

Head Coach Felix Mercado riled up his squad in the second half, as the team went on to score five goals in the third quarter to take a 10-6 lead. "I think the team came out a little flat due to the excitement of senior night," said Mercado. "We were able to gain focus in the third quarter and put the game away. M.I.T. is a great team and they fought hard for four quarters."

Junior goalkeeper Kent Holland (Orinda, CA) played three solid quarters and tallied nine saves. Bruno kept up the offensive intensity in the final eight minutes of play, scoring five goals to MIT's four to earn a 15-10 victory and end the season with a 14-9 record. Max Lubin (Beverly Hills, CA) played in goal in the final quarter for the Bears, and earned three saves.

Gartner led the squad in scoring with six goals, while LeBeau notched four. Fort added two goals along with two steals and an assist, while Weintraub, who saw limited action due to injury, was able to contribute with two assists and two ejections drawn. Also chipping in was sophomore Brandon Yoshimura (Haverford, PA) with two goals, and sophomore Gordon Hood (Carlsbad, CA) with one.