Deirmenjian Lifts No. 3 Seed Men’s Water Polo over No. 4 St. Francis in Overtime in NWPC Third-Place Game, 19-18

Sunday, November 24

Cambridge, MA / MIT

10:30 AM

Brown University

St. Francis College Brooklyn

Deirmenjian Lifts No. 3 Seed Men’s Water Polo over No. 4 St. Francis in Overtime in NWPC Third-Place Game, 19-18

11/24/2019 4:51:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

Results

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Freshman Leo Berkman scored five goals, and senior Armen Deirmenjian netted three goals – including the game winner in sudden victory overtime – as No. 3 seed Brown University men's water polo topped No. 4 seed St. Francis Brooklyn, 19-18, in the third-place game of the 2019 NWPC Championship on Sunday morning at MIT's Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center.

The No. 19 nationally ranked Bears (22-12) overcame a 10-7 halftime deficit, knotting the game at 15-15 at the end of regulation before outscoring the Terriers (19-14), 4-3, in the overtime sessions.

"I'm really proud of the team for staying mentally tough and making a comeback in the second half," Brown head coach Felix Mercado said. "It's great that we were able to send our seniors out with a win."

With 22 wins in 2019, Brown posted its ninth 20-win season in the last 10 years and has now registered 20 or more wins in 11 of Mercado's 13 seasons.

Berkman (Orinda, Calif.) – an Honorable Mention All-Tournament Team pick – paced the Bears with his five goals alongside an assist while Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.) – a First Team All-Tournament selection – finished with three goals, two assists, and four ejections drawn.

Senior James Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) – a Second Team All-Tournament choice – tallied three goals and three assists, sophomore Andrew Penner (Atherton, Calif.) notched two goals and five ejections drawn, and freshman Cole Atwell (San Diego, Calif.) scored two goals.

Junior Adam Fuller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) notched a goal and an assist, and sophomores Gabe Kaplan (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Stephen Salle (Chadds Ford, Pa.) as well as freshman Nick Berry (San Anselmo, Calif.) each netted one goal. Senior Galen Hu (Colleyville, Texas) dished out two assists.

In the cage, sophomore goalkeeper Ugo Piovan (Vouliagmeni, Greece) totaled 10 saves and three steals.

After St. Francis opened the game with a 2-0 lead, goals from Berkman and Atwell cut the deficit to 3-2. Tallies from Deirmenjian, Berry, and Berkman kept Brown within 7-5 at the end of the first quarter.

The Terriers pulled ahead 9-5 in the second quarter before back-to-back goals from Kaplan and Thygesen trimmed the margin to 9-7. A St. Francis goal gave the Terriers a 10-7 advantage at the intermission.

Brown worked itself back into the game, winning the third quarter 5-2. Goals from Penner and Salle brought the score to 11-9 before the Terriers moved ahead 12-9. The Bears then used a 3-0 run behind goals from Fuller, Thygesen, and Berkman to knot the score at 12-12 heading to the fourth frame.

In the fourth quarter, goals from Thygesen and Berkman gave Brown a 14-13 lead – its first lead of the game – with 5:53 to go in regulation. After St. Francis regained a 15-14 edge with 1:57 to play, Deirmenjian tied the game at 15-15 with 1:06 left, sending the game to overtime.

Following a St. Francis goal to open overtime, Penner and Atwell each netted a goal to give Brown a 17-16 lead at the end of the first bonus period. Berkman staked the Bears to an 18-16 edge before the Terriers netted consecutive goals to equalize at 18-18 and force a sudden victory period.

After a shot from Atwell went off the crossbar, Piovan made a pair of saves – including a stop on the penalty kill – to keep the Bears alive in the decisive period. Deirmenjian then connected on a shot from beyond five meters with 16 seconds left in the stanza to lift the Bears to the victory.

Brown improved to 2-1 in the season series against St. Francis.

Brown 19, St. Francis 18
Brown....................... 5…2…5…3…4…19
St. Francis................ 7…3…2…3…3…18
Brown Goals: Berkman 5, Thygesen 3, Atwell 2, Deirmenjian 3, Penner 2, Berry, Fuller, Kaplan, Salle.
Brown Saves: Piovan 10.

2019 NWPC All-Tournament Team
Rookie of the Tournament: Alex Bucur (Harvard)
Coach of the Tournament: Ted Minnis (Harvard)
MVP of the Tournament: Noah Hodes (Harvard)

First Team
Noah Hodges, Goalie (Harvard)
Charlie Owens (Harvard)
Dennis Blyashov (Harvard)
Austin Sechrest (Harvard)
Joan Coloma (Princeton)
Wyatt Benson (Princeton)
Armen Deirmenjian (Brown)

Second Team
Antonio Kenz, Goalie (Princeton)
Alex Tsotadze (Harvard)
Yurian Quinones (Princeton)
James Thygesen (Brown)
Dominick Hevesi (St. Francis Brooklyn)
Miller Geschke (MIT)
Quinn Lloyd (Iona)

Honorable Mention
Leo Berkman (Brown)
Jackson Enright (Harvard)
Jorge Andres Torres (Iona)
Kevin Downey (MIT)
Pierce Maloney (Princeton)
Vladimir Mickic (St. Francis Brooklyn)