Get Herald RSSThe men's water polo team trounced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Thursday night by a score of 11-5, after barely pulling out a 12-11 overtime victory against the Engineers Sept. 16.
The win was Brown's second in a row after suffering through a tough early draw at the Brown Invitational last weekend. The Bears moved to 7-5 on the year with the win and, more importantly, to 2-0 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association's Northern League.
"Our first game against (MIT) was at the Air Force Academy (at an altitude of) over 7,000 feet with one sub," said co-captain Stu Thompson '07. "We got a big lead, and then let them back into the game in the second half. This time around … our defense played well, helping to keep the lead for us."
It wasn't just the defense that stepped up its game.
The onslaught of shots from the Bears continued, from start to finish. Forty-seven seconds into the first quarter, Hank Weintraub '09 scored the first Brown goal of many to come on a powerful shot. Gerrit Adams '08 quickly followed suit, and each of them got in one more goal before the end of the quarter. Nico Fort '09 rounded out the scoring in the first quarter with 50 seconds left to put the Bears up 5-2 heading into the second quarter.
The half ended with two more scores, compliments of co-captain Luke Samson '07 and Fort, who converted a one-on-one showdown with the MIT goaltender.
The second half turned out to be more of a defensive battle, with big plays coming from Brown goalie Kent Holland '10. He had 10 blocks on the night in addition to a stellar assist.
Grant Lebeau '09 came alive in the second half, pouring in three goals, two of which came from penalty shots, and rounding out the score to 11-5.
"This win felt a lot better than the last one (over MIT). We should have beaten them the last time by this margin," Samson said. "Last time we didn't know their plays or what they were throwing at us, but this time we were ready for them and knew how to shut them down."
The high energy level on both sides of the ball certainly contributed to the definitive win by the Bears, putting them at 2-0 in league play as they head to California this weekend for the Claremont Convergence Tournament.
"This win was big," Samson said. "This was a league game so this affects how we are seated in the league. … We needed to get this win, and we got it, and it feels good."
