PROVIDENCE, R.I. — No. 15-ranked Brown University defeated Iona College, 17-13, in overtime after falling to No. 12 Princeton University, 14-13, in sudden victory overtime in a pair of Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) games at home in the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center.
The Bears accounted for all four of the goals in overtime in their victory over the Gaels in game two after holding a lead twice in overtime in an eventual setback to the Tigers in game one.
Brown placed 11 student-athletes in the scoring column between the two games with senior Tommy Bush (Lafayette, Calif.) pacing the Bears with five goals. Senior Tyler Kirchberg (Orinda, Calif.) dished out six assists with three goals while freshman goalkeeper Riad Hallal (Coronado, Calif.) compiled 25 saves.
A total of 22 goals have decided Brown’s last 16 games with the Bears playing in five overtime contests during that span and compiling a 9-7 overall record.
Against Princeton in the day’s opener, Bush tallied three goals, and Hallal made 15 saves as the Bears suffered a sudden death/victory defeat.
In a game that saw 11 ties and six lead changes, the Bears held advantages in the fourth quarter and overtime before the visiting Tigers rallied on each occasion to take the victory.
With Brown trailing 10-9 entering the fourth quarter, junior Spencer Carroll (Newport Beach, Calif.) tied the game at 10-10 with a 6-on-5 goal with 6:17 left in the fourth frame. Bush gave the Bears an 11-10 lead with 5:36 to play in regulation with a goal from beyond five meters before Princeton knotted the score at 11-11 at the 2:31 mark to force overtime.
Carroll pushed Brown ahead 12-11 on a power play goal with 20 seconds remaining in the first overtime period. The Tigers drew level at 12-12 early in the second overtime period before Kirchberg converted a shot with 16 seconds to play in the stanza. Princeton then equalized at 13-13 with five seconds to go in the second overtime and scored the game-winning goal 17 seconds into the sudden victory period.
Bush paced Brown three goals, three steals, and two assists while Kirchberg totaled five points on a goal and four assists. Junior Santiago Nunez (Miami, Fla.) contributed two goals, two steals, and an assist, and Carroll netted two goals.
Sophomore Galen Hu (Colleyville, Texas) provided a goal and three assists, and freshman Aidan Reilly (Los Angeles, Calif.) posted a goal and an assist. Junior Travis Bouscaren (Cambridge, Mass.) and sophomores Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.) and Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) each added a single goal.
As part of his 15-save effort, Hallal turned aside five shots in the first overtime period and blocked a five-meter penalty shot in the second quarter.
The Bears opened the game with a 3-2 edge as Bush, Nunez, and Bouscaren each found of the back of the net in the first five minutes. The Tigers netted the opening quarter’s last two goals to bring a 4-3 edge into the second frame.
Brown outscored Princeton 4-1 in the second quarter to take a 7-5 advantage at halftime. Reilly started the stanza’s scoring before a Princeton tally put the visitors back up 5-4. The Bears closed the half on a 3-0 run as Bush, Hu and Deirmenjian each scored.
The Tigers used a 5-1 run to start the third quarter to re-gain a 10-8 edge late in the frame. Nunez netted the Bears’ goal during the spurt before Rawlings converted on the right win to close the quarter’s scoring and cut the deficit to 10-9 heading to the fourth.
Brown proceeded to take an 11-10 lead behind goals from Carroll and Bush before Princeton sent the game to extra time. In the bonus sessions, the Bears claimed leads of 12-11 and 13-12 on goals from Carroll and Kirchberg prior to the Tigers netting the contest’s final two goals.
A total of 18 goals have decided Brown’s last 15 games with the Bears playing in four overtime contests during that span and compiling an 8-7 overall record.
Princeton captured the regular season series, 2-0, as the Tigers beat the Bears 9-8 in New Jersey on October 1.
Facing Iona in the late game, senior Austin Hwang (Laguna Hills, Calif.) scored three goals, including two in overtime to lead Brown to an overtime win.
The Bears accounted for all four of the goals in overtime to claim the victory after the visiting Gaels used a 3-0 run inside of the final three minutes of regulation to send the game into extra time.
Hwang added an assist to his hat trick as one of nine Brown goal scorers in the contest and one of seven multi-goal performers in the game for the Bears.
Deirmenjian tallied two goals and three assists, while Kirchberg and Reilly each posted two goals and two assists.
Bush, Bouscaren and Rawlings netted two goals apiece. Senior Rico Burke (San Mateo, Calif.) and Carroll both tacked on a goal and an assist.
Hallal stopped 10 shots for his third double-figure save performance in as many games on the weekend.
The two teams traded five-meter penalty shot goals to open the game with Kirchberg converting for the Bears. Iona then took a 3-2 lead despite a goal from Bouscaren. A tally from Bush knotted the score at 3-3 heading to the second quarter.
Deirmenjian and Reilly netted the first two goals of the second quarter, completing a 3-0 run and giving the Bears a 5-3 edge with 6:26 to go in the half. Reilly scored again in between a pair of Iona markers to keep Brown up 6-5 at the intermission. Hallal made back-to-back saves in the final five seconds of the half to help Brown maintain the lead.
The Bears started the third quarter with a 4-1 run to pull ahead 10-6 with 2:29 to play in the period. Deirmenjian started the streak before Bouscaren, Burke, and Hwang netted three consecutive goals. The Gaels responded with a 3-0 run of their own to trim their deficit to 10-9 entering the fourth quarter.
Carroll put Brown up 11-9 early in the fourth quarter prior to a marker from Iona. Bush and Kirchberg then registered back-to-back goals to stake Brown to a 13-10 advantage with 3:03 to go in regulation. Iona scored the last three goals of regular time, including a tally with 12 seconds left and a 5-meter penalty with one second remaining, to extend the game to overtime.
Brown outscored Iona 4-0 in the first overtime period alone as Hwang and Rawlings each netted two goals. Hwang started the scoring and netted a second goal in the frame on a 5-meter penalty. Rawlings followed with consecutive goals, and the Bears blanked the Gaels in the six minutes of bonus time.
The Bears swept the regular season series with the Gaels, 2-0, as Brown beat Iona 13-12 in overtime on September 30 in New York.
Release courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
