The No. 20 women's water polo team (14-14) advanced to the Eastern Championships by finishing in the top two spots in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Northern Division Championship tournament this weekend in Utica, N.Y. But first place eluded the team again, as the Bears lost to No. 14 Hartwick in the Northern championship game, 16-13.
"The score was pretty close" compared to 18-10 and 20-8 losses to Hartwick earlier this season, said Sarah Glick '10. "It's a signal that we definitely have the potential to beat them."
In their closest loss to the Hawks in four years, the Bears jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first quarter of the championship game, and they were up 8-6 at the half before Hartwick made its comeback.
"We made really big mistakes in the second half that lead to counterattacks back-to-back from them," said Lauren Presant '10, who scored three goals for Bruno.
The Hawks made a 6-2 run in the third quarter and never looked back, riding the wave of a game-high seven goals from Kirsten Hudson.
"Hartwick capitalized on a few of our silly mistakes," said goalie Stephanie Laing '10. "We played solidly aside from a few blips."
Co-captain Alexis Blaxberg '08 led Brown with five goals while Sarah Glick '10 and Kat Stanton '11 posted two goals apiece.
Glick pointed out that when starters Presant and Rory Stanton '09 fouled out in the second half, the remaining starters "weren't getting the rest we needed." Playing in their second game of the day, the nine Bears that were left were not as fresh as the 16 Hawks on the other side of the pool.
"It was frustrating when they got back in the game, and then to lose by three," Presant added.
Laing is confident that the smaller size of the team won't be a factor at the eight-team Eastern championships, since the Bears will be playing only one game each day.
Brown and Hartwick will be joined by No. 11 Michigan and No. 18 Indiana from the Western division, and Princeton and Bucknell from the Southern division in Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend. The two wild card spots will be filled by either Harvard, Maryland or Mercyhurst. The winner of Easterns will go on to the NCAA National Championship Tournament in Palo Alto, Calif., from May 9 to 11.
After overwhelming Utica, 12-4, and Connecticut College, 16-5, on Saturday, the Bears had to beat Ivy League rival Harvard before their rematch with the Hawks. The rivalry has been lopsided the past few years, with consecutive Brown blowouts. Sunday's first game was no exception, as Bruno blanked the Crimson, 9-0.
"We had no doubts," Presant said of the three wins it took to earn a spot in the championship game. "We knew we would be playing Hartwick."
Up 6-0 at the half, the Bears played their trademark defense while Laing earned her second career shutout with eight saves in net.
"It felt good. ... It was nice seeing the looks of horrible, horrible defeat on (Harvard players') faces," Laing said.
Blaxberg led all scorers with four, while Presant had three and Stanton and Herald Senior Staff Writer Joanna Wohlmuth '11 chipped in one apiece.
The Bears spread the wealth on Saturday, outscoring their opponents 28-9. Nine players scored against Utica in the first game, in which Bruno sealed the deal by taking a 10-2 halftime lead. Glick and Blaxberg scored three goals each to pace Bruno in its second Saturday win against the Camels.
"Since spring break, we have come out strong, really attacking, and playing four solid quarters," Laing said. "This weekend is pretty much a toss-up between teams, but we want (to win Easterns) more than anyone."
