CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The Brown men's water polo team opened up the 2010 season with two victories at the MIT Invitational this afternoon.  Bruno cruised to an 11-6 win over Cal Lutheran, and then defeated Boston Metro 11-7.   Sophomore Svetozar Stefanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) netted six goals to lead the offense today, while freshman James McNamara (Los Angeles, Calif.) earned five in his rookie debut.

Against Cal Lutheran, the Bears jumped out to a 5-2 lead after the first quarter and then shut out the Kingsmen 3-0 in the second to earn an 8-2 lead heading into halftime.  Cal Lutheran then edged Bruno 2-1 in scoring in the third, but both teams tied 2-2 in goals in the fourth as the Bears garnered the 11-6 win. 

"Overall I was pleased with our team play," said Head Coach Felix Mercado.  "We are still nowhere near the shape I want us to be, but we have a long season ahead."

Stefanovic led the squad in scoring with three goals and three steals, while freshman Grant Villeneuve (Atherton, Calif.) and sophomore Michael Hartwick (Los Angeles, Calif.) and McNamara netted two apiece.  Also adding to the offense was senior Corey Schwartz (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Brandon Yoshimura (Haverford, Pa.) with one apiece.  On defense, junior Max Lubin (Beverly Hills, Calif.) picked up four saves in his two quarters played, and freshman Walker Shockley (Diamond Bar, Calif.) earned three.  Sophomore Cyrus Mojdehi (La Jolla, Calif.) added two assists to an overall solid performance for the Bears in game one. 

Bruno gained a 5-2 lead after two quarters of play, and then extended that to 8-4 after the third.  Both teams netted three goals in the fourth, but the Bears were able to come out on top with an 11-7 win.

The defense was led by Shockley's seven saves in the cage in two quarters, and Lubin picked up four in the other two quarters.  Adding to the offense was Yoshimura with two goals and senior Gordon Hood (Carlsbad, Calif.) with one.

Release courtesy Brown Athletic Communications