Connecticut College-vs.-Austin College Scoresheet
BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — Connecticut College’s Sean King (Sr., La Canada, Calif./Flintridge Prep) could not lead the Camels to water (they were already in it), but he could lead them to victory as the Player of the Game scored three times in helping his Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)-West Region squad top Austin College of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), 13-12, on the first day of the 2019 Division III Eastern Championship.
Competing at Chartiers Valley HIgh School in a tournament hosted by Washington & Jefferson College, the Camels (4-7) overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits with 7:44 and 5:35 left in the first quarter to rally back prior to the close of the frame to stand even with Austin (0-17) at three-all after eight minutes of action.
The second quarter proved to be the turning point of the game as freshmen Sam Guy (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) and Christian Jacobsen hooked in shots with 6:45 and 4:47 left in the frame, respectively, to stake the Camels to a 5-3 lead. Austin shaved the margin back to one at 5-4 via a tally by Max Wade (Fr., Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound), but Tim Beloborodov (Sr., Moscow, Russia/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) cashed in on a man-up chance with 2:24 remaining until halftime in returning Connecticut’s margin to a pair at 6-4 by the break.
Jacobsen struck again at the 4:41 mark of the third quarter to widen the chasm to 7-4 before Wade whipped in an answer at 4:28 to pull the Kangaroos back within a pair at 7-5.
However, Connecticut turned up the pressure with a 3-0 spurt fueled by even-strength (3:20) and man-up (2:50) goals from King prior to Arturo Freitas (Sr., Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) converting on a six-on-five bid (2:05) in building the Camels’ lead to 10-5.
Austin attempted to chip away at the margin in the waning moments of the third quarter as Michael Colmenares (Fr., Richmond, Texas/Foster) and Evan Cueva (Fr., Ontario, Calif./Colony) found the back of the cage for man-up (1:28) and natural (41 seconds) strikes, respectively, to inch the ‘Roos within three at 10-7. Needing a score to stymie the momentum, Freitas flicked in an insurance man-up tally with 18 ticks on the clock to provide Connecticut an 11-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Freitas’ insurance marker proved decisive as Colmenares (7:36) and Wade (6:48, 6:03) combined for back-to-back-to-back power-play goals to move Austin back within one at 11-10 with over 75 percent of the fourth quarter left to play.
Beloborodov terminated the run by burying his second tally of the contest to make it 12-10, but Alex Rodriguez (So., Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound) countered with an even-strength goal at 2:54 to once again put Austin on the doorstep of tying the score with the potential of overtime or a comeback win hanging in the balance.
With the Camels potentially on the ropes, Freitas delivered the knockout blow by breaking loose for the deciding strike with 1:48 to put Connecticut up 13-11.
Austin refused to go silently into the night, however, as Robert Griffin (Jr., Seabrook, Texas/Clear Falls) lined in a five-meter penalty shot with 1:34 left to make it 13-12.
Connecticut College held on from there as the Camels’ defense kept the Kangaroos in check the rest of the way to hang on for a one-goal victory.
For Connecticut, Freitas, King and Jacocbsen each posted hat-tricks, while Beloborodov notched a pair. Guy and Lucas Verrilli (So., Evanston, Ill./Evanston) – who broke the ice for the Camels’ inaugural goal with 7:27 remaining on the first quarter clock – both added single markers.
Austin received five goals from Wade and a trio by Colmenares in suffering the setback. Griffin, Rodriguez, Cueva and Kyle Brown (So., Lake Jackson, Texas/Brazoswood) each chipped in single scores.
The loss combined with an earlier 23-11 defeat by Division III No. 8-ranked Johns Hopkins University drops Austin into the tournament’s Fifth Place game at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 27, against the host Presidents of Washington & Jefferson. It will mark the second meeting in three days for the two programs as W&J outlasted the Kangaroos by a 23-20 count on Friday, October 25, at home in Washington, Pa.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Austin College (0-17) | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | – | 12 |
| Connecticut College (4-7) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | – | 13 |
| Connecticut Goals: | Arturo Freitas (3); Sean King (3); Christian Jacobsen (3); Tim Beloborodov (2); Lucas Verrilli; Sam Guy | |||||
| Austin Goals: | Max Wade (5); Michael Colmenares (3); Robert Griffin; Kyle Brown; Alex Rodriguez; Evan Cueva | |||||
| Saves: | Connecticut – Not available ; Austin – Not available | |||||
| Exclusions: | Connecticut – 12 ; Austin – 9 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Connecticut – 5-for-9 ; Austin – 7-for-12 | |||||
| Sprints: | Connecticut – 0-for-4 ; Austin – 4-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Connecticut – MD (Mike Gertsik, 3:54 left in 2nd Q) ; Austin – YC (Head coach Mark Lawrence, 2:24 left in 2nd Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Mike Naughton; Brandon Nicholson | |||||
Austin College’s Evan Cueva (#17)
Austin College’s Will Koelzer (#3) lines a shot over a closing Sean King (#17) of Washington & Jefferson College
Connecticut College’s Sam Guy (#6) defends Austin College’s Michael Colmenares (#19)
Connecticut College’s Sean King (#17)
