Men’s Water Polo Defeats Iona, 14-11, Falls to No. 17 St. Francis Brooklyn, 16-14

Saturday, October 5

New Rochelle, NY

9:00 AM

Brown University

Iona College

Men’s Water Polo Defeats Iona, 14-11, Falls to No. 17 St. Francis Brooklyn, 16-14

10/5/2019 9:23:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

NEW ROCHELLE and BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – Brown University men's water polo defeated Iona College, 14-11, at Hynes Pool before falling to No. 17 St. Francis Brooklyn, 16-14, at the SFC Aquatic Center on Saturday.

Playing in their first NWPC games of the season, the Bears (9-6, 1-1 NWPC) made second-half rallies in both contests, upending the Gaels (2-8, 0-2 NWPC) in their first game prior to coming up just short against the Terriers (11-3, 3-0 NWPC) in their second contest of the day.

"In both games I thought we started slow with no real urgency," Brown head coach Felix Mercado said. "We did a better job in the second half of both games. It was good enough to rally and beat Iona, but it was not enough against St Francis. We're hoping for a better start tomorrow against Princeton."

Senior James Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) paced the Bears with 11 points on the day behind seven goals and four assists. Freshman Nick Berry (San Anselmo, Calif.) scored a hat trick against Iona, and senior Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) netted a hat trick against St. Francis. Senior Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.) dished out six assists between the two games.

Next, Brown plays at No. 18 Princeton University tomorrow – Sunday, Oct. 6 – at 10:00 a.m. (ESPN+).

Game 1 – Brown 14, Iona 11

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Senior James Thygesen totaled seven points on five goals and two assists to lead Brown to a 14-11 win over Iona at Hynes Pool in its first game of the day on Saturday morning.

Competing in their NWPC opener, the Bears used a 9-2 run to turn a 7-4 deficit late in the second quarter into a 13-9 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) paced the Brown offense with his five goals and two assists while freshman Nick Berry (San Anselmo, Calif.) netted three goals and an assist.

Freshman Leo Berkman (Orinda, Calif.) tallied two goals and two assists, and senior Galen Hu (Colleyville, Texas) scored two goals. Sophomores Niko Bhatia (Los Altos, Calif.) and Matt Simko (Coral Gables, Fla.) each scored one goal.

Senior Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.) compiled three assists, two steals, and two field blocks while classmate Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) registered two assists and three ejections drawn.

In the cage, sophomore goalkeeper Ugo Piovan (Vouliagmeni, Greece) made five saves, and junior net-minder Riad Hallal (Coronado, Calif.) stopped four shots.

After Iona initiated the game's scoring, Bhatia knotted the score at 1-1. Following a pair of goals from the Gaels, a marker from Thygesen helped keep Brown within 4-2 at the end of one.

Thygesen netted the first two goals of the second quarter to draw the Bears level at 4-4. Iona responded with a 3-0 run to pull ahead 7-4.

With a goal late in the first half, Berkman began the Bears' 9-2 run. Trailing 7-5 at halftime, Berry scored three consecutive goals to push Brown ahead 8-7. Following a Gael goal, Simko and Berkman responded to give the Bears a 10-8 edge. Back-to-back goals from Thygesen to end the quarter staked the visitors to a 12-9 edge heading to the fourth frame.

Hu's goal to open the fourth quarter made the score 13-9, capping the 9-2 streak. After a pair of Gael tallies, Hu closed the contest's scoring.

Brown 14, Iona 11
Brown....................... 2…3…7…2…14
Iona........................... 4…3…2…2…11
Brown Goals: Thygesen 5, Berry 3, Berkman 2, G. Hu 2, Bhatia, Simko.
Brown Saves: Piovan 5, Hallal 4.

Game 2 – No. 17 St. Francis Brooklyn 16, Brown 14

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, N.Y. – Senior Hudson Rawlings netted three goals, and classmates Armen Deirmenjian and James Thygesen each scored twice, but Brown fell to No. 17 St. Francis Brooklyn, 16-14, on Saturday evening at the SFC Aquatic Center in its second game of the day.

Trailing 8-3 at halftime, the Bears cut the margin to two goals on five occasions in the second half, but the host Terriers held on for the win.

Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) posted three goals and two steals while Deirmenjian totaled two goals, three assists, and two steals. Thygesen contributed two goals and two assists.

Seven different Bears scored one goal, including juniors Adam Fuller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Aidan Reilly (Los Angeles, Calif.), sophomores Niko Bhatia (Los Altos, Calif.), Gabe Kaplan (Santa Monica, Calif.), and Andrew Penner (Atherton, Calif.), and freshmen Cole Atwell (San Diego, Calif.) and Leo Berkman (Orinda, Calif.). Bhatia, Reilly, and Fuller each added an assist.

In the cage, junior goalie Riad Hallal (Coronado, Calif.) made five saves.

After St. Francis opened the game with a 3-0 edge, goals from Penner and Kaplan helped Brown remain within 4-2 at the end of the first quarter. Thygesen started the second stanza's scoring before the Terriers closed the half on a 4-0 run, taking an 8-3 advantage at the break.

The two sides combined for 10 goals in the second quarter with the Bears taking the frame 6-4. Bhatia, Rawlings, and Deirmenjian each scored once to cut the hosts' margin to 9-6. Tallies from Berkman, Deirmenjian, and Thygesen brought the score to 11-9 before the Terriers brought a 12-9 edge into the final period.

Markers from Fuller, Atwell, and Reilly kept the Bears within two goals at 14-12, but St. Francis countered with a pair of markers to move ahead 16-12. Rawlings posted the contest's final two goals.

St. Francis 16, Brown 14
Brown....................... 2…1…6…5…14
St. Francis................ 4…4…4…4…16
Brown Goals: Rawlings 3, Deirmenjian 2, Thygesen 2, Atwell, Berkman, Bhatia, Fuller, Kaplan, Penner, Reilly.
Brown Saves: Hallal 5, Piovan 1.