Brown University
Harvard
No. 13 Brown Men's Water Polo Edges Harvard in OT, Bests MIT
9/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 13 Brown University men's water polo defeated Harvard University, 10-9, in overtime at Blodgett Pool and topped No. 20 MIT, 14-8, at the Zesiger Center in the opening day of CWPA Northern Division play for all three schools on Saturday.
The Bears (8-3, 2-0 CWPA North) needed extra time to defeat the Crimson (3-5, 1-1 CWPA North) – with freshman Travis Bouscaren (Cambridge, Mass.) netting the only goal of overtime – prior to pulling away from the Engineers (3-2, 1-1 CWPA North), ranked No. 3 in Division III, in their second game of the day.
Juniors Jake Wyatt (Corona Del Mar, Calif.) and Yahel Murvitz-Lahav (Tel Aviv, Israel) paced the Bears against MIT with four and three goals respectively.
"Anytime we can play two tough teams on the road and come out with wins is a good thing," head coach Felix Mercado said. "It wasn't pretty, but we will take them. Now we have to get ready for our New York trip."
Next, Brown continues conference play next weekend at Iona (Sat., Sept. 26, 7 p.m.), at St. Francis Brooklyn (Sun., Sept. 27, 11 a.m.), and at Fordham (Sun., Sept. 27, 3:30 p.m.).
Game 1 – No. 13 Brown 10, Harvard 9 (OT)
Bouscaren scored the game-winning goal in overtime as No. 13 Brown beat Harvard, 10-9, in its first game of the day on Saturday afternoon. Bouscaren netted his only goal of the game with a fade-away shot from 10 meters as time expired in the first overtime period to lift the Bears to the win.
Senior Will Klein (Pasadena, Calif.), Wyatt, and sophomore Tommy Bush (Lafayette, Calif.) each recorded two goals. Murvitz-Lahav totaled a goal and two assists while sophomore Tyler Kirchberg (Orinda, Calif.) paced the visitors with three assists.
Freshman Santiago Nunez (Miami, Fla.) tallied a goal and a team-high three steals while sophomore Rico Burke (San Mateo, Calif.) added a goal.
Junior goalie Luke Weiser (Los Alamitos, Calif.) compiled 16 saves, an assist, and a steal.
Harvard opened with a 2-0 lead midway through the first quarter before Klein scored to pull Brown within 2-1 of its CWPA and Ivy rival after one period.
The Bears netted all four of the second stanza's goals beginning with a marker from Wyatt. Burke followed with a goal prior to a tally from Nunez. Wyatt closed the half's scoring with 22 seconds to go before the break as Brown led 5-2 at the half.
The Crimson tied the score at 7-7 after three quarters, outscoring the Bears 5-2 in the third period. Harvard knotted it at 5-5 before Bush logged back-to-back goals.
Brown went ahead 8-7 on Klein's second goal, but the hosts tied it at 8-8 with 2:12 to play. Murvitz-Lahav's tally with 45 seconds left in regulation gave the Bears a 9-8 edge, but Harvard tied the score again with one second on the clock.
Bouscaren scored with no time left in the first part of overtime, and the Bears blanked the Crimson in extra time.
Brown 10, Harvard 9
Brown....................... 1…4…2…2…1…10
Harvard..................... 2…0…5…2…0…9
Brown Goals: Bush 2, Klein 2, Wyatt 2, Bouscaren, Burke, Murvitz-Lahav, Nunez.
Brown Saves: Weiser 16.
Game 2 – No. 13 Brown 14, No. 20 MIT 8
Wyatt netted four goals, Murvitz-Lahav posted three tallies, and No. 13 Brown scored the game's final four goals to claim a 14-8 triumph over No. 20 MIT on Saturday night.
Kirchberg and Klein each recorded two goals while senior Matty Gallas (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and juniors Luke Irwin (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Warren Smith (Dallas, Texas) each chipped in one goal.
In net, freshman Will Renken (South Pasadena, Calif.) made a season-high 16 saves.
Brown jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the contest as Murvitz-Lahav, Klein, and Kirchberg each netted a goal. MIT scored once in the first quarter before Kirchberg found the back of the net with under a minute remaining in the period to give the visitors a 4-1 lead after one.
The Bears pushed their lead to 7-2 in the second stanza and led 10-5 at halftime after a six-goal quarter. Murvtiz-Lahav started the period's scoring for Brown before Wyatt charted back-to-back markers. Smith, Gallas, and Wyatt accounted for the Bears' next three goals.
MIT pulled within 10-7 after the third quarter, posting two goals in the frame's first four minutes and shutting out Brown in the period. The Engineers cut their deficit to 10-8 early in the fourth quarter.
The Bears then blanked the hosts over the final 7:20 and totaled four unanswered goals. Irwin initiated the run before Wyatt, Murvitz-Lahav, and Klein supplied goals in order.
Brown 14, MIT 8
Brown....................... 4…6…0…4…14
MIT............................. 1…4…2…1…8
Brown Goals: Wyatt 4, Murvitz-Lahav 3, Kirchberg 2, Klein 2, Gallas, Irwin, Smith.
Brown Saves: Renken 16.
