NORTON, Mass. — Division III No. 6-ranked the Massachusetts Institute of Technology rung out Mercyhurst University, 20-12, and Mount St. Mary’s University, 19-17, at Wheaton College’s Balfour Natatorium to finish out the team’s participation at the 2023 Bruno Classic hosted by Brown University, Harvard University and Wheaton.
The Engineers raced out to a quick lead versus Mercyhurst by netting the first seven goals to take an 8-2 lead after the first quarter. Graduate student Bo Tignol (Antwerp, Belgium) led the way with three goals in the opening scoring spree.
The Lakers notched the first goal of the second quarter, but the Engineers got strikes from sophomores Adam Ivatorov (Rockaway, N.Y.) and Alec Sheres (Del Mar, Calif.) to acquire a 10-3 margin.
Three straight goals from first-year Matthew Pryce (Johannesburg, South Africa) extended the MIT lead to 14-5 and a goal from classmate Jackson Kay (Palo Alto, Calif.) concluded the scoring for the Engineers.
The 20-12 final score marks the first time MIT has scored 20 or more goals in a contest since November 5, 2021, against Connecticut College.
Tignol and Pryce led MIT with four goals each, while Ivatorov added a hat trick in the match.
First-years Kay, William Ewald (Greenwich, Conn.) and Andras Beleznay (Delray Beach, Fla.) all recorded their first collegiate goals, while junior Jack King (Los Altos, Calif.) led MIT with four assists. Junior Richard Yun (Irvine, Calif.) and first-year Rick Lundh (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) led the defense as both collected three steals.
Senior Colin Weaver (Huntington Beach, Calif.) posted 11 saves in goal over three quarters with two steals and an assist to earn the win. First-year Etash Bhat (Southlake, Texas) made two saves in the final quarter of play.
Facing Mount St. Mary’s, senior Evan Kowal (South Pasadena, Calif.) opened the scoring for MIT in the first as the two teams combined for 10 goals in the first eight minutes of action. Lundh scored two of the five goals in the quarter for MIT.
Markers by Tignol and Pryce in the second quarter put the Engineers up 7-5, but the Mountaineers responded with back-to-back-to-back strikes to pull ahead 8-7.
Pryce kickstarted a four-goal run to give the Engineers an 11-8 lead in a third quarter which saw 11 goals scored between the teams as the duo headed into the final eight minutes of regulation deadlocked at 15-all.
MIT scored the first four goals of the fourth quarter and kept Mount St. Mary’s in check for a pair to escape with a 19-17 win.
Lundh led MIT with five goals, while Kowal and Ivatorov added three each. Tignol. Pryce and first year Kieran Kearns (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) each chipped in three assists.
On defense, Ewald led the way with seven steals in support of a six save, two save effort by Weaver.
Information courtesy Massachusetts Institute of Technology Athletics Communications
