PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Brown University men’s water polo team went 3-0 on the second and final day of competition at the Bruno Classic by earning wins over Mercyhurst University, 16-8, Gannon University, 17-10, and the University of Florida collegiate club team, 20-8.
On the day, Leo Berkman led all Bears with nine goals, while adding three assists and three steals as well. Evan Moore had six goals, five assists, and a team high seven steals. Filip Aleksic and Ben Kirshon each had five goals and shared the team lead of six assists.
In goal, Joe Gallagher made a team-high 14 blocks and was the only Brown goalkeeper to play in all three games.
“Overall, I am happy with where we are after these six games,” head coach Felix Mercado said in reference to the two days of competition. “It wasn’t a perfect weekend by any stretch, but we got a chance to see everyone play and can identify where we need to put the work in. I’m excited to get back to work and watch film.”
Against Mercyhurst, the Bears used a six-goal first quarter to get ahead and never looked back. They led 9-4 at the half and used a huge third quarter to almost double their lead to 14-5. Mercyhurst actually outscored the Bears in the fourth and final frame, but it didn’t matter as Brown claimed the 16-8 victory. Stephen Salle led all Bears with three goals.
In the second contest of the day versus Florida, Brown again got out to a fast start and led 13-6 at halftime. The Bears allowed the Gators to score only two more times during the final two quarters to secure the 20-8 win. Moore and Berkman each had four goals in the contest.
In the final game of the tournament, Brown had to come from behind to earn the win. Gannon outscored the Bears 6-3 in the first frame and 8-6 during the first half. Brown switched it into another gear for the third and fourth quarters, as they outscored Gannon 11-2 to finish the game up 17-10. The comeback was started by two goals from Cole Atwell and continued as five other players also scored in the third frame. The roll was maintained into the fourth quarter as Brown scored three unanswered goals to start the final frame.
Information courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
