PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Brown University men’s water polo split its two games at home to close out the 2022 Harvard University Invitational with an 11-8 loss to No. 6-ranked Long Beach State University and an 18-8 defeat of Salem University in the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center.
“Today the guys did a really good job defensively against quality opponents,” said head coach Felix Mercado. “It would have been nice to get two wins but the split is okay. We look forward to getting back to work and for our next California trip.”
The Bears hung tight but could not pull out a win over Long Beach State, falling 11-8. Leo Berkman led the Bears with four goals.
Brown trailed 4-3 after one quarter with all three goals in the quarter coming from Berkman. Two goals by Gabe Chang and another from Berkman in the second kept Brown down by one at halftime.
The Bears managed just two goals in the second half with Cole Atwell scoring in the third quarter and Daniel Hadar scoring in the final eight minutes.
Brown ended the weekend beating Salem 18-8 with Ilias Stothart scoring four goals for the Bears. Five Bears scored two goals each and four other Bears also found the back twine.
Brown jumped ahead early with six goals in the first quarter. Chang and Trey Rogers each scored two goals and Berkman and Ben Kirshon also tallied goals.
In the second quarter, Stothart scored two goals and Atwell tallied a goal as Brown pushed its lead to 9-6 at halftime.
The Bears dominated the second half, outscoring Salem 5-1 in the third quarter and 4-1 in the fourth. Stothart scored two in the third with Berkman, Thomas Hoffmeister and Maxwell Patterson also scoring in the quarter. In the final quarter, Kirshon, Atwell, Evan Moore and Hadar all scored.
Release courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
