The football team shined in another action-packed weekend for Brown Athletics, with the Bears winning their season opener Saturday after entering overtime twice. Men’s water polo and women’s rugby also won key victories, while field hockey split their two weekend games.
On Saturday, the football team (1-0) opened the season with a 44-38 double overtime victory over Bryant University (0-3) in a thrilling start to the 2022 season. Brown rallied back from a 24-10 deficit entering the fourth quarter, scoring five touchdowns across the fourth quarter and subsequent double overtime. New starting quarterback Jake Willcox ’24 went 26-for-39 through the air, throwing for 356 yards and scoring three touchdowns and three interceptions, adding another 56 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Wide receiver Graham Walker ’24 led the Bears with eight catches for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The women’s rugby team (1-1-1) won a dominant 83-0 victory over Princeton (0-3) Saturday, giving Bruno its first win of the season. Eight different Brown players recorded tries, with Noelle Lewis ’24 scoring four tries and Akilah Cathey ’25 and Mahdia Parker ’23 each scoring two.
The men’s water polo team (7-4) won two out of three games on their California road trip, falling to Pepperdine by a score of 20-5 before beating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 14-8 and Whittier College 20-10.
The volleyball team (4-5) split a pair of Saturday matches, falling to the University of Connecticut (5-5) in four sets before defeating Lindenwood University (3-6), also in four sets. Sophia Miller ’23 and Kate Sheire ’24 each recorded double-digit kills against Connecticut, while Elise Curtin ’23 recorded 12 against Lindenwood.
The field hockey team (5-1) also split a pair of weekend games, beating Towson University (2-5) 2-1 Friday before falling to Virginia Commonwealth University (4-3) 3-2. Lexi Pellegrino ’26 scored goals in each of the Bears’ two games, accounting for half of the team’s total scoring for the weekend.
The women’s soccer team (5-2-1) fell to Oklahoma State University (7-1-1) by a score of 2-0 Sunday. A pair of late goals from the Cowgirls proved too much for Bruno to overcome, handing the reigning Ivy League Champions their second loss of the season. The Bears had to contend with extreme heat and a flight cancellation and ended up being shut out for the first time this season despite promising opportunities early in the game.
The men’s soccer team (2-2-0) also lost this weekend, falling 3-0 to Saint Francis College (3-3-1) in Brooklyn Sunday. The Bears were unable to get anything going on offense, with the Terriers holding an advantage in shots, shots on goal and corner kicks.
Multiple Brown sailors had strong performances at the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association Singlehanded Championships, led by Leyton Borcherding ’25, who took first in the NEISA Singlehanded Championship.
Peter Swope is the senior editor of digital engagement for The Brown Daily Herald's 133rd Editorial Board. He previously served as a Sports section editor and has also written stories for University News. Peter is a senior from New Jersey studying history.
