PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The No. 15-ranked Brown University men’s water polo defeated McKendree University, 13-5, No. 19 St. Francis Brooklyn, 12-11 in sudden victory overtime and No. 16 California Baptist University, 9-6, on the opening day of the Bruno Classic at home inside the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center.
On the first day of the Bruno Classic, the host Bears (3-0) cruised past the Bearcats (0-2) in the season opener, rallied past the Terriers (0-2) in their second contest and came back from a second half deficit to beat the Lancers (2-1) in their finale for the evening.
Senior Tyler Kirchberg (Orinda, Calif.) and sophomore Will Collier (Darien, Conn.) led the Bears on the day with five goals apiece, adding three and two assists respectively. Senior Tommy Bush (Lafayette, Calif.) registered a team-high six assists with three goals between the three games.
Freshman goalkeeper Riad Hallal (Coronado, Calif.) totaled 20 saves on the day, including 10 stops against Cal Baptist.
In game one, sophomore Galen Hu (So., Colleyville, Texas) tallied a game-high three goals as the Bears defeated McKendree, 13-5, in its season opener. The game also marked the first game of the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s water polo season.
The Bears led 6-1 after the first quarter, 8-2 at halftime, and 10-2 early in the third quarter en route to their win over the Bearcats – a team playing in its first game as a varsity program.
Hu added an assist to his hat trick while sophomore James Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) registered two goals and an assist. Fellow sophomore Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) netted two goals.
Freshman Aidan Reilly (Los Angeles, Calif.) totaled a goal, two assists and three steals, while Bush dished out two assists.
Brown’s single goal scorers included seniors Austin Hwang (Laguna Hills, Calif.) and Kirchberg; junior Spencer Carroll (Newport Beach, Calif.); and sophomores Collier and Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.).
Carroll, Collier, senior Doug Barber (New Haven, Conn.), sophomore Christian Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) and freshman Paul Kalandiak (Miami, Fla.) each chipped in one assist. Freshman Adam Fuller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) tacked on three steals.
In the cage, junior Will Renken (South Pasadena, Calif.) and freshmen Hallal and Charlie Pang (Greenwich, Conn.) shared time, making two, four and four saves respectively. Hallal also dished out an assist.
Brown and McKendree traded goals in the first 1:02 with Rawlings netting the Bears’ first goal of 2017. The hosts then scored the game’s next six goals to pull ahead 7-1 with 7:01 to play in the second quarter.
Rawlings started the run with his second straight goal before Hu converted on a one-handed redirection. Thygesen, Reilly, and Kirchberg closed out the first quarter’s scoring as Brown led 6-1 after one stanza. Tallies from Carroll and Hwang gave Brown an 8-2 edge at halftime.
The Bears charted the first two goals of the second half as Thygesen and Hu each found the back of the net to push Brown ahead 10-2 with 3:11 to play in the third period. The Bearcats answered with three straight goals to pull within 10-5 with 3:50 to play.
Brown then scored the final three goals of the contest as Hu, Deirmenjian and Collier scored in succession.
Game two featured more drama as Hwang scored the game-winning goal 42 seconds into sudden victory to lift Brown to a 12-11 win over St. Francis Brooklyn in overtime.
With the scored tied 11-11 after the first two overtime periods, Brown gained possession off the sprint to open the sudden victory stanza. After the Bears gained a power play, Bush passed to Hwang on the left wing who drove a shot into the back of the net for the golden goal.
Kirchberg scored a game-high three goals with an assist while Bush posted two goals and a team-high three assists. Collier registered two goals and an assist, and Hwang and senior Rico Burke (San Mateo, Calif.) each netted two goals. Deirmenjian added a goal and an assist.
Hallal made six saves in the second half and overtime, including three stops in the bonus periods. Renken turned aside four shots in the first half.
The two teams stood level at 7-7 heading into the fourth quarter before the Terriers gained an 8-7 edge with 4:05 to play in regulation. Kirchberg responded less than two minutes later, knocking a shot into the goal off the left post on the man advantage. St. Francis retook a 9-8 edge with 1:32 remaining, but Bush scored on the left wing from five meters with 59 seconds left to force overtime.
The visitors opened the extra session with two goals, but Bush stemmed the run with a goal with six seconds left in the first part of overtime. Burke netted a goal from straight on at the 2:10 mark of the second part of overtime to send the contest into a sudden victory stanza.
In the first quarter, the Terriers took a 2-0 lead before the Bears scored four consecutive goals. Deirmenjian started the burst before Collier netted back-to-back tallies. Kirchberg closed the run to give the hosts a 4-2 lead after the first quarter.
Burke scored on a one-timed shot late in the second quarter off a feed from Rawlings, but St. Francis outscored Brown 3-1 in the frame to knot the score at 5-5 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Kirchberg and Hwang each converted 5-meter penalty shots to match a pair of St. Francis goals as the two teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 7-7.
The Bears closed out the day by defending their No. 15 ranking against the team directly behind them in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) National Top 20 Preseason Poll. Brown rallied past Cal Baptist in the second half, scoring the game’s final five goals to take a 9-6 win.
Trailing 6-4 midway through the third quarter, the Bears netted five unanswered goals to close the contest, shutting out the Lancers over the final 12:04 and allowing just one second half goal.
Collier and Deirmenjian each scored two goals, while Kirchberg recorded a goal and two assists.
Bush and sophomore Thygesen each compiled a goal and an assist, while sophomores Rawlings and Jack Wilson (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) netted one goal apiece.
In net, Hallal made 10 saves for his first collegiate double-figure save performance. He blocked six shots in the second half.
After CBU scored the game’s opening goal, Brown went on a 4-0 run, taking a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter and gaining a 4-1 margin early in the second stanza. Bush started the run on a delayed counter before Collier converted from the left wing from five meters.
Wilson knocked a shot in off the left post with six seconds to play in the first frame, and Collier completed the run with a left wing goal. The Lancers responded with four straight goals of their own to pull ahead 5-4 at the half. CBU pushed its lead to 6-4 with 4:05 to play in the third quarter before the Bears blanked the visitors the rest of the way.
Kirchberg began Brown’s 5-0 spurt to end the game, connecting from five meters. Deirmenjian tied the game at 6-6 with 2:54 left in the third, beating the shot clock on a feed from Kirchberg. Rawlings gave Brown back the lead with a power play goal, and Deirmenjian extended the edge to 8-6 with 49 seconds to go in the third period.
Thygesen netted the fourth quarter’s only goal to give the hosts a three-goal margin. Hallal stopped three shots in each of the third and fourth quarters.
Release courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
