The No. 17 men’s water polo team finished weekend play with an even record after winning its first match against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers and losing its second contest against the Harvard Crimson.
The Bears (9-6, CWPA 4-2) competed in two CWPA Northern Division games over the weekend. Both games will factor into seed placement for the CWPA Northern Divisional Championships, which will take place at Harvard Nov. 9-10. Last year, the Bears almost took home the first place win at the CWPA Northern Divisional Championships, coming up just short against the then-ranked No. 15 St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers with an 8-7 loss in the deciding game.
“Of course, we want a first-round bye,” said Head Coach Felix Mercado. “It’s tough because every team has improved and brought in high-impact freshmen. Ultimately, our goal is to get better every game.”
Bruno’s first match came against the Engineers (4-9, 4-5), as the squad put forth an impressive defensive effort to close the game with a 15-9 score for a Bruno victory. Will Klein ’16 scored a noteworthy three goals during the game, and goalie Walker Shockley ’14 accumulated a total 22 saves for the day, helping the Bears stay competitive in both matches.
The second match of the day featured a close score in a 6-5 loss to the Crimson. After an offensive surge in the second quarter — featuring three Bruno goals — the score was tied 4-4 at the half. But Harvard shut out the Bears in the third quarter while putting up two goals of its own. The squad answered with a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter, keeping Harvard from scoring more goals. Bruno only put up one goal in the fourth quarter, unable to surmount the two-goal deficit. Henry Fox ’15 tallied six goals over the weekend’s games, helping the Bears reach a 4-2 divisional record.
“(Harvard) came out with a different type of gameplay — they pressured us hard,” Mercado said. “We were unable to run our offense effectively.”
Bruno’s efforts continue at home this weekend as the team faces rematches against the Connecticut College Camels (1-10, 0-3), the Terriers (8-4, 3-1) and the MIT Engineers.
“We are excited to be home without a tournament setting,” Mercado said. “I’m curious to see how our guys play.”
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