Brown University
Bucknell
No. 14 Men's Water Polo Beats Mercyhurst, Falls at No. 15 Bucknell
9/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
LEWISBURG, Pa. – No. 14 Brown University men's water polo beat Mercyhurst University, 16-3, after dropping a 9-8 decision to No. 15 Bucknell University on the team's second and final day at the Bucknell Invitational on Sunday at Kinney Natatorium.
The Bears (7-5) built a 9-1 lead en route to their win over the Lakers (2-4) in their second game of the day after the host Bison (6-1) – the top-ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference – used a fourth quarter comeback to take a win in Brown's first contest of the day.
Senior Luke Irwin (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and junior Tyler Kirchberg (Orinda, Calif.) led the Brown offense with four goals apiece between the two games.
Next, Brown enjoys an off weekend prior to hosting Connecticut College on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and then opening Northeast Water Polo Conference play at No. 9 Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m.
Game 1 – No. 15 Bucknell 9, No. 14 Brown 8
Senior Jake Wyatt (Corona Del Mar, Calif.) and Kichberg each scored two goals, but No. 14 Brown fell to No. 15 Bucknell, 9-8, on Sunday morning in its first game of the day at the Bucknell Invitational.
The Bears held a 6-5 lead at halftime and an 8-6 edge through three quarters before the host Bison used a 3-0 fourth quarter to pull out the win. Brown did not trail in the contest until Bucknell – the top-ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference – went ahead 9-8 with 2:31 remaining.
Irwin, senior Yahel Murvitz-Lahav (Tel Aviv, Israel), junior Rico Burke (San Mateo, Calif.), and freshman Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) each netted one goal.
Senior goalkeeper Luke Weiser (Los Alamitos, Calif.) made 10 saves.
Brown jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first quarter with Murvitz-Lahav and Kirchberg scoring in the first half of the frame prior to a marker from Rawlings with 40 seconds left in the period.
Bucknell pulled within 4-3 midway through the second stanza despite a marker from Rawlings. Kirchberg and Irwin then notched goals in between a Bison tally to keep Brown ahead 6-4. The Bison scored with 16 seconds left in the first half to cut their deficit to 6-5 at the break.
After Bucknell opened the third quarter with a 5-meter penalty shot goal to knot the score at 6-6, Wyatt responded with a goal to put Brown back up, 7-6. Burke scored with four seconds to go in the period to provide the Bears with an 8-6 edge entering the final frame.
The Bison trimmed the margin to 8-7 early in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 8-8 on another penalty shot with 4:24 left. Bucknell claimed its 9-8 advantage with 2:31 remaining.
Bucknell 9, Brown 8
Brown....................... 3…3…2…0…8
Bucknell................... 0…5…1…3…9
Brown Goals: Kirchberg 2, Wyatt 2, Burke, Irwin, Murvitz-Lahav, Rawlings.
Brown Saves: Weiser 10.
Game 2 – No. 14 Brown 16, Mercyhurst 3
Five different student-athletes scored multiple goals for the Bears as No. 14 Brown cruised past Mercyhurst, 16-3, in its second game of the day and its fourth and final game at the tournament on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears built a 9-1 edge in the first half in outdistancing the Lakers.
Irwin paced the Bears with three goals in the contest while Kirchberg, juniors Tommy Bush (Lafayette, Calif.) and Austin Hwang (Laguna Hills, Calif.), and freshman Jack Wilson (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) each netted two goals.
Burke, Murvitz-Lahav, Rawlings, sophomore Santiago Nunez (Miami, Fla.), and freshman Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.) tacked on one goal apiece.
Sophomore goalie Will Renken (South Pasadena, Calif.) turned aside nine shots.
Brown opened the game with a 3-0 lead behind tallies from Murvitz-Lahav, Kirchberg, and Irwin. The Bears claimed a 5-1 advantage after the first quarter with goals from Wilson and Rawlings.
Bruno accounted for the first four goals of the second quarter as Burke, Hwang twice, and Irwin found the back of the net. Mercyhurst scored before the end of the period to cut its deficit to 9-2 at halftime.
After a Laker marker to open the third quarter, Brown scored the game's final seven goals. Bush, Irwin, Kirchberg, Deirmenjian, and Nunez scored in order in the third quarter before Bush and Wilson chipped in tallies in the fourth frame.
Brown 16, Mercyhurst 3
Brown....................... 5…4…5…2…16
Mercyhurst............... 1…1…1…0…3
Brown Goals: Irwin 3, Bush 2, Hwang 2, Kirchberg 2, Wilson 2, Burke, Deirmenjian, Murvitz-Lahav, Nunez, Rawlings.
Brown Saves: Renken 9.
