PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Brown University men’s water polo team moved to 19-9 on the season by dropping a 13-12 nail-biter to No. 18-ranked Harvard University prior to knocking off Division III No. 8 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by a 12-7 tally.
Brown and Harvard played a close contest in their second meeting of the season. After Harvard’s Jack Burghardt (6:53, 6:17) scored the opening two goals, Filip Josipovic (4:07) and Trey Rogers(3:09) found the back of the net to even the score at two-all. Josipovic put the Bears ahead at the 1:22 mark, but the Crimson’s Connor Kim (1:02) responded as the Bears and the Crimson entered the second quarter tied at three-all.
Kim (7:45) and Brown’s Máté Tymcyna (7:14) exchanged scoring blows to commence the second quarter prior to Felix Pal (6:31) returning Harvard to the lead at 5-4. Tymcyna (6:12, penalty shot) rebalanced the scoreboard at five-all, but back-to-back strikes by Clay Carrington (3:50) and Kim (2:29) turned the tide in favor of Crimson as Harvard pushed ahead 7-5. Geoff Slutzky (eight seconds) padded the visitors’ lead to 8-5 prior the halftime.
Carrington doubled-up Brown in the dawning moments of the second half by burying shots at 7:29 and 6:45 to increased Harvard’s margin to 10-5. Roland Csendes (6:25; 35 seconds), Griffin Tunney (4:43) and Jaxson Tierney (2:07) trimmed Brown’s deficit back to 10-9 before Carrington (1:28, penalty shot) and Kim (four seconds) counterpunched for the Crimson to push Harvard ahead 12-9 exiting the third quarter.
Csendes (7:21, penalty shot) and Tymcyna (4:40) made it a 12-11 contest before Csendes (2:45) delivered the equalizer to put the Bears on the cusp on a Halloween upset by the national rankings. However, Burghardt put an apple in Brown’s trick-or-treat candy bucket by burying a shot with 40 ticks left on the clock to allow Harvard to escape with a 13-12 victory.
Carrrington (four), Kim (four) and Burghardt (three) led Havard’s scorers with Pal and Slutzky tacking on solo tallies against Bears’ goalkeeper Dimitrios Kratimenos.
Csendes (four), Tymcyna (three), Josipovic (two), Tunney, Rogers and Tierney combined for Brown’s 12 goals.
In its second NWPC match up of the day, Brown took an early lead over MIT as Csendes (7:25) dented the twine prior consecutive Engineers’ markers at 5:17 and 4:35 putting the visitors ahead 2-1. Colton Bell (3:14) and Josipovic (1:43) placed the Bears ahead 3-2 prior to the termination of the first quarter.
Following an MIT score 21 seconds into the second quarter at 7:39 to make it a three-all contest, Brown awoke from an offensive slumber to rampage as Csendes (5:02), Tierney (3:50) and Bell (2:18) ticked off a trio of tallies to acquire a 6-3 lead. MIT snapped the streak at 1:56, but Tymcyna (1:11) and Dominik Balla (41 seconds) doubled-up the Engineers by an 8-4 count heading into halftime.
Tierney (6:39) and Tunney (2:43, penalty shot) increased Brown’s lead to 10-4 in the third quarter before MIT inched back to within five scores with 1:12 on the clock.
The Engineers continued a comeback effort with a goal 32 seconds into the fourth quarter at 7:28, but Tierney (4:10) and Josipovic (1:31) delivered Brown’s 11th and 12th markers to seal the win. MIT trimmed its final deficit down to 12-7 before the concluding horn with 1:02 to play.
Kratimenos started in goal for Brown, while Will Corr closed out the final quarter in net to support scoring by Tierney (three), Bell (two), Josipovic (two), Csendes (two), Tymcyna, Tunney and Balla.
Information courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
