WATER POLO EARNS ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 10-9 WIN VS. PRINCETON

Princeton, NJ- For the second consecutive year, the Brown women’s water polo team (8-1) earned the 2010 Division I ECAC Championship at Princeton’s DeNunzio Pool on Sunday afternoon. Brown senior Lauren Presant (Poway, CA) put one past Princeton’s goalkeeper on a power-play with just three seconds left in the game to earn a 10-9 victory and claim the championship. The MVP of the ECAC Championship, senior Sarah Glick (Bonita, CA), led Brown’s offense with five goals.

“I’m extremely proud of this team,” said Head Coach Felix Mercado. “We fought to the end and never game up. It’s still very early in the season and we have plenty of work to do, but we will take this time to enjoy this championship before getting back to work on Tuesday.”

With the score even at 3-3 after the first eight minutes of the game, Princeton gained a lead in the second quarter and headed into halftime with a 5-4 lead. In the third quarter, the Tigers gained a two-goal lead on the Bears, but Brown clawed back and cut its deficit to one, 7-6, after the third quarter.

Both teams battled in the final eight minutes, as freshman Katharine Booher (Palo Alto, CA) hit a big goal to even the score at 9-9. Just when it seemed like the game would head into overtime, Presant hit a huge power-play goal with three seconds left on the clock to earn the thrilling 10-9 victory against the Tigers in their pool.

Glick carried the offense with five goals, followed by Presant with two, and junior Katharine Stanton (Danvile, CA), junior Joanna Wohlmuth (Manhattan Beach, CA) and Booher each added one apiece. Senior Stephanie Laing (Ann Arbor, MI) had another spectacular game in the cage, picking up eight saves.

Brown is back in action on March 6-7 when it heads to Indiana to compete in the CWPA Elite Eight Championship.