Between its new coach and lack of a pool, the men's water polo team has faced a variety of obstacles this season. The team continued this theme in its past two games, as the Bears played through the loss of their only goalie and, as the players said, the expectations of a home crowd. But the squad continued another theme as well - winning.
The No. 19 Bears (17-8) beat Harvard 8-7 Thursday with a sudden-death overtime goal by Corey Schwartz '11, then took down Mercyhurst College 10-7 Friday in its only official home game of the season, at Wheaton College, about 30 miles outside Providence.
Immediately following a last-second loss to the U.S. Naval Academy on Oct. 21, goaltender Kent Holland '10 threw the ball toward the referee, presumably out of frustration. The toss splashed the ref and earned Holland a red card, which automatically barred him from playing in the next game. The team has only one goaltender on its roster, so Brandon Yoshimura '11, a defender, played goaltender for the first time in his collegiate career.
Harvard immediately tested Brown's makeshift goalie, firing shots from all parts of the pool. But the Bears combined strong defense, timely saves from Yoshimura and a potent offense to take a 5-0 lead into halftime. The first session frustrated Harvard so much that after the game Harvard coach Erik Farrar said it was "the worst half of water polo that I have seen a Harvard team play in 25 years," according to Harvard's sports information Web site.
Gerrit Adams '08 attributed the success to the team's hustle.
"We did a great job working on defense in the first half," Adams said. "And they were taking bad shots. They thought we didn't have a goalie at all, but (Yoshimura) was a pretty good goalie. In the second half they concentrated on taking better shots."
The improved scoring opportunities led to a rash of Harvard goals in the second half. The Crimson outscored Brown, 7-2, to tie the game at seven and send it into overtime.
Head Coach Felix Mercado attributed Harvard's comeback primarily to the Bears' fatigue.
"Our defense was working harder in the first half; in the second half we just got tired," Mercado said. "We're a small team, and we just ran out of gas."
But the team "got a second wind" in overtime, Mercado said. Brown went scoreless in the two regulation overtime periods, but blanked the Crimson to preserve the deadlock.
Harvard first gained possession in the third overtime period, but Brown double-teamed a Harvard player and stole the ball. Mike Gartner '09, who led the team with three goals in the game, drew an ejection to put the Bears on the 6-on-5 power play, and Brown settled into its offense. After working the ball around, Hank Weintraub '09 found Schwartz, who slammed the shot home for the win.
"I see the play developing and I'm like, 'we're gonna win the game,' and Hank made a great pass to win it," Mercado said. "There was no panic button after we gave up all those goals in the second half. I have a lot of confidence in the team and they made the play."
Against Mercyhurst, Brown was buoyed by a home crowd for the first time this season, but the excitement of the game hurt the team's execution early on. Playing at Wheaton's Balfour Natatorium, where Brown practices, the Bears missed early opportunities and ended the first half down 4-3.
"It was a nice environment, but the guys got caught up in it," Mercado said. "Everyone tried to do everything perfectly, like shooting for posts and corners too much. We dictated that game, but we didn't convert the shots."
In the second half Brown pulled away by using a balanced offensive attack. For the game, Schwartz and Gordon Hood '11 led the team with two goals apiece and four players chipped in with tallies of their own.
Besides securing a win, the best part of the game for the players was the raucous home atmosphere.
"It was awesome to be able to play in front of Brown fans," Adams said. "They were loud and supportive. I've played in front of Brown fans for three years, but it was nice for freshmen to see what Brown fans are like."
The team hopes the wins will give it a boost in the postseason. Brown will play in the Northern Division Championships this weekend, which could include a rematch against Harvard. The Bears will compete in the Eastern Championships 12 days later, where they will face powerhouses No. 11 Navy and No. 12 St. Francis College. But the team's close loss to Navy earlier in the season gives it hope that it can take home the Eastern Championship, Adams said.
"We're looking to win every game in the postseason," Mercado said. "I told the guys at the beginning of the year that we had a chance. We're still the darkhorse, but we feel we can win it all."
