After crushing MIT last Thursday night, 15-7, the men's water polo team added another win to its record Saturday afternoon, upsetting No. 11 St. Francis, 9-8, at Connecticut College.
"It was a good win for the program," said Assistant Coach John McBride. "We were two evenly matched teams that day. We just happened to be the winner."
But after a tough opening to their season, the Brown men were ready for this win.
"The game was great for our morale," Mike Gartner '09 said. "They were the number one team on the East Coast. It's great for the team to know we're at that level."
The game was a battle back and forth from the start, as the teams traded goals during the first quarter that left the teams even at 3-3. In the second quarter, the Terriers continued to attack the Bears offensively and came out two goals ahead.
"The guys kept us in the game with great defense and aggressive offense in the first half," Gartner said.
St. Francis focused its defensive effort on taking out Gartner, the Bears' main whole set, but Gartner fought back, drawing seven ejections throughout the game to give the Bears big opportunities on offense. "Mike played absolutely amazing," said Corey Schwartz '11. "He was a stronghold, he opened up the entire offense."
Down by two goals entering the second half, the Bears came out swinging and, for the second time this season, came back from behind. The third quarter saw Bruno outscore St. Francis, 5-2, bringing the score to 8-7 at the end of the quarter and giving Brown its first lead of the game.
"Our training kicked in during the second half and people were executing perfectly," Gartner said. The teams traded goals in the final quarter, fighting it out until the final seconds. But the Bears held on to their lead to finish the game on top 9-8.
"When the buzzer ran out in the fourth quarter was a highlight for me," Schwartz said. "It was such a close game throughout, I don't think anyone wanted to let up."
After using some of their early games to give their bench players playing time, the Bears were able to depend on their depth throughout the game.
"We were really relying on our bench to give our starters a break," McBride said. "I give our bench a lot of credit."
Gartner echoed these sentiments.
"It was one of the most brutal games I've ever been a part of," Gartner said. "It's great having those players who aren't afraid to go in."
CWPA North Player of the Week Gordon Hood '11 led the Bears in goals, scoring three times throughout the game, while Hank Weintraub '09 tallied an additional two goals and three assists. Schwartz added another two goals and Gartner and captain Grant LeBeau '09 rounded out the scoring for the Bears with one goal each.
"It's so nice to have a team like we have with so many weapons," Gartner said. "Everyone is willing to give 100 percent for their teammates."
On the defensive end, goalkeeper Kent Holland '10 came up big with nine saves.
"Kent played really well," McBride said. "He had some one-on-nobody blocks (that) really raised the confidence of the guys."
While happy with the win, both McBride and Gartner recognized the need to stay focused.
"It was definitely the most rewarding game of my career so far," Gartner said. "But we still have a long way to go."
The Bears will hit the road this week and be back in the pool Wednesday night to take on Harvard.
