Men’s Water Polo Tops No. 17 St. Francis, 11-10, Iona, 17-12, to Cap Weekend Sweep

Sunday, November 3

Providence, RI

10:00 AM

Brown University

St. Francis College Brooklyn

Men’s Water Polo Tops No. 17 St. Francis, 11-10, Iona, 17-12, to Cap Weekend Sweep

11/3/2019 12:03:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

St. Francis Results Iona Results

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Bears' seniors accounted for 20 goals on the day as Brown University men's water polo swept past No. 17 St. Francis College Brooklyn, 11-10, and Iona College, 17-12, in a pair of NWPC games at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center on Sunday.

Completing a 3-0 league weekend, the Bears (19-10, 5-3 NWPC) rallied to beat the nationally ranked Terriers (18-10, 5-4 NWPC) in their opener before topping the Gaels (6-19, 0-9 NWPC) in the team's Senior Game. Brown has now won 10 of its last 12 contests, including a 10-8 win over No. 18 Princeton on Saturday to open the weekend.

"I'm glad that we were able to send our seniors out with three wins in their final three games in this pool," Brown head coach Felix Mercado said. "They have all made important contributions to our program during their time here and have played a big role in our success this season."

Prior to the Iona game, Brown honored the five members of its senior class – Will Collier (Darien, Conn.), Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.), Galen Hu (Colleyville, Texas), Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.), and James Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) – for their hard work and dedication to the program over the last four years. All five seniors scored goals against Iona.

Deirmenjian led the Bears with eight goals between the two games while Rawlings netted four goals, including the game-winning goal with 39 seconds left against St. Francis. Thygesen totaled four goals and five assists on the day.

Next, Brown concludes its regular season with match-ups at MIT on Nov. 9 at 11:00 a.m. and at No. 9 Harvard on Nov. 9 at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+) prior to competing at the NWPC Championship from Nov. 22-24.

Game 1 – Brown 11, No. 17 St. Francis Brooklyn 10

Senior Hudson Rawlings netted three goals and scored the game-winning goal with 39 seconds to play, lifting Brown to an 11-10 win over No. 17 St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday morning.

Defeating a ranked opponent for the second time on the weekend, the Bears used a 4-1 fourth quarter to upend the visiting Terriers, rallying from a 9-7 deficit entering the final frame. Brown topped No. 18 Princeton, 10-8, on Saturday.

Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) finished with five points on three goals – all in the fourth quarter – and two assists alongside three ejections drawn while fellow senior James Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) matched him with five points on three goals and two assists.

Senior Armen Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.) totaled two goals, three steals, and two ejections drawn. The Bears' senior triumvirate of Rawlings, Thygesen, and Deirmenjian combined for eight goals, four assists, five steals, two field blocks, and six ejections drawn.

Freshman Cole Atwell (San Diego, Calif.) tallied a goal and an assist, junior Adam Fuller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) registered a goal and two field blocks, and sophomore Andrew Penner (Atherton, Calif.) contributed a goal and two ejections drawn. Junior Aidan Reilly (Los Angeles, Calif.) dished out two assists.

In the cage, sophomore goalkeeper Ugo Piovan (Vouliagmeni, Greece) made eight saves and limited the Terriers to one goal in the fourth quarter.

The Bears opened the game with a 2-0 lead behind goals from Deirmenjian and Atwell before the Terriers responded with back-to-back markers to knot the score at 2-2. A goal from Fuller pushed Brown ahead 3-2 before the two teams ended the first quarter tied at 3-3.

After St. Francis netted the first three goals of the second quarter to move ahead 6-3, Brown countered with goals from Deirmenjian and Penner to close the half, cutting the margin to 6-5 at the break.

Thygesen initiated the second half's scoring, equalizing at 6-6, before St. Francis notched consecutive goals to pull ahead 8-6. Thygesen scored again prior to the visitors bringing a 9-7 edge into the fourth quarter.

Brown answered with a 4-1 fourth quarter behind Rawlings' hat trick and a 5-meter penalty goal from Thygesen.

After a goal from Rawling sliced the deficit to 10-9, St. Francis re-gained a 10-8 advantage. The Bears then closed the game on a 3-0 run behind two goals from Rawlings and a tally from Thygesen. Thygesen tied the game at 10-10 with 2:57 to play, converting a 5-meter penalty before Rawlings put the Bears up 11-10 with 39 seconds remaining, scoring on the inside off a feed from Thygesen.

Brown evened the season series with St. Francis at 1-1 as the Bears dropped a 16-14 decision to the Terriers on Oct. 5.

Brown 11, St. Francis 10
Brown....................... 3…2…2…4…11
St. Francis................ 3…3…3…1…10
Brown Goals: Rawlings 3, Thygesen 3, Deirmenjian 2, Atwell, Fuller, Penner.
Brown Saves: Piovan 8.

Game 2 – Brown 17, Iona 12

Senior Armen Deirmenjian netted six goals, and all five of the Bears' seniors scored as Brown bested Iona, 17-12, on Saturday afternoon.

Playing in their second game of the day and third contest of the weekend, the Bears took an 8-1 lead on the Gaels early in the second quarter and maintained at least a three-goal margin the rest of the way, capping an undefeated weekend.

Deirmenjian (Beverly Hills, Calif.) added an assist and two field blocks to his six-goal effort while the Bears' other four seniors each scored at least one goal. Senior Will Collier (Darien, Conn.) tallied three goals, including two 5-meter penalty shots, alongside an assist.

Senior James Thygesen (Menlo Park, Calif.) posted a goal and three assists, senior Galen Hu (Colleyville, Texas) notched a goal and an assist, and senior Hudson Rawlings (Murrieta, Calif.) scored one goal. For the game, the Bears' seniors accounted for 12 goals and six assists.

Junior Adam Fuller (Santa Barbara, Calif.) registered two goals and two assists, and freshmen Leo Berkman (Orinda, Calif.) and Maxwell Patterson (Portola Valley, Calif.) each netted one goal.

In the cage, sophomore goalie Ugo Piovan (Vouliagmeni, Greece) made three saves in the first half, while allowing just three goals, and junior net-minder Riad Hallal (Coronado, Calif.) turned aside five shots in the second half.

The Bears opened the game with a 5-0 lead as four of the Bears' seniors found the back of the net during that opening stretch. Collier scored twice – including on a penalty shot – while Deirmenjian, Thygesen, and Rawlings each scored once. Brown moved ahead 7-1 at the end of the opening stanza behind goals from Berkman and Deirmenjian.

A 5-meter penalty goal from Hu staked the Bears to an 8-1 edge early in the second quarter. A goal from Deirmenjian closed the half, giving the hosts a 9-3 advantage at the break.

After Iona cut its deficit to 9-6, Berkman stopped the 3-0 run, making the score 10-6. A pair of goals from Deirmenjian offset tallies from the Gaels as the Bears led 12-8 heading to the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, a penalty shot goal from Collier and marker from Fuller pushed Brown ahead 14-9. Down the stretch, Deirmenjian, Fuller – on a penalty shot – and Patterson scored the Bears' final goals.

Brown swept the season series from Iona, 2-0, as the Bears topped the Gaels, 14-11, on Oct. 5.

Brown 17, Iona 12
Brown....................... 7…2…3…5…17
Iona........................... 1…2…5…4…12
Brown Goals: Deirmenjian 6, Collier 3, Berkman 2, Fuller 2, G. Hu, Patterson, Rawlings, Thygesen.
Brown Saves: Hallal 5, Piovan 3.