The men's water polo team christened the new Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center during last weekend's Brown Labor Day Weekend Tournament, finishing undefeated in seven matches. On Saturday, the No. 20 Bears took down Fordham University 13-5, the Chicago Masters 12-8, Metro Boston 16-6 and No. 18 St. Francis College 9-8. On Sunday, they secured wins over Diablo Valley College 17-8, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 13-1 and the Florida All-Stars 15-10.
"This is the first time we're playing at the home pool," said captain Svetozar Stefanovic '13."Having home advantage is great for us, and we hope our fans will keep coming and supporting us."
The victory over rival St. Francis was particularly sweet - the Bears had not beaten the Terriers since 2008. Ryan Gladych '13 tied the score with 1:25 left in the match, and Henry Fox '15 scored the winning goal with 18 seconds remaining.
The Bears' strong start matches their high expectations for the season. Stefanovic said he has full confidence the team's balance of new and veteran players will help it reach its season goals.
"This year, we have five seniors, which not many teams have, and we also have three freshmen who have proved to be really good players," Stefanovic said. "That combination will definitely contribute to our achievements this season."
The team has prepared diligently for the upcoming season, hoping to build on last season's 20-11 record. The Bears have clocked as many as nine hours of training per day, Stefanovic said.
"It's been really hard, but we've all been enjoying it, and we know it's necessary if we want to win every game," Stefanovic said.
Besides shooting for an undefeated record, Stefanovic said he hopes the team will reach the NCAA Final Four.
"Our motto this season is 'be hungry,' so that's what we're trying to do - strive to be hungry and beat every opponent," Stefanovic said.
