Get Herald RSS "Photo:")
There is no other way to spin it: the men's water polo team manhandled the Connecticut College squad last night. No. 20 Brown moved to 7-2 on the year after defeating the Camels 21-5 in a game that was never close. In front of a strong home crowd, the Bears put on a scoring clinic in each quarter of the game, with goals coming from nine different players on the 12-player roster.
"We did what we needed to do," said co-captain Stu Thompson '07. "This was a game we knew we were going to win and that we should win, so it was good to put it away."
The Bears came out of the starting gates with a quick first goal scored by Hank Weintraub '09. Grant LeBeau '09 followed suit moments later, and the offensive onslaught was on. The first quarter ended in favor of the Bears by a 5-1 margin. The combination of Weintraub and LeBeau was appropriate, as the two classmates have claimed the past two Northern Division Player of the Week honors following Weintraub's honor this week.
"This game felt good," said Head Coach Jason Gall. "We've had problems putting away games where we would get a lead and then let the team get back into it, like against (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), so it was good to get the high scoring percentage and see that the level of intensity was high on both offense and defense."
In the net, goalkeeper Kent Holland '10 had a solid night, totaling nine blocks and keeping the Camels out of the net as Bruno built a comfortable lead. By halftime, the Bears were up 9-2 and showed no signs of easing up on their attack.
While the Bears had been struggling with injuries, most significantly the loss of Mike Gartner '09, who is recovering from a broken bone in his hand, the Bears did not look weak on Thursday. Defensively, the squad had five steals and five blocked shots, with standout performances from Zach Levko '10, co-captain Luke Samson '07 and Weintraub, each of whom notched a steal and a block.
Offensively, the array of scorers showcased the depth in the Bears' arsenal of players. LeBeau had four goals, and Samson, Nico Fort '09 and Gerrit Adams '08 each drove in three.
The Bears' strong play continued through the final quarter of the game. The fourth quarter saw the most scoring from both teams, with the Bears notching seven goals and the Camels putting in two.
Despite the Bears' lopsided victory, the win was the perfect preparation heading into this weekend's ECAC Championship tournament. The tournament will be held at the Smith Swim Center, and the Bears hope to take last night's win and use it as momentum for the weekend's event.
"It felt good to win this one and it was a great tune-up game for this weekend against Bucknell (University), who ended our season last year," Samson said. "It's always good to get a win in before a big game to get your confidence up."
