Oct. 26, 2007

Final Stats

Norton, Mass. - The Mercyhurst men's water polo team and No. 19 Brown entered the fourth quarter of Friday evenings match-up deadlocked at 6-6. The Lakers were looking for their second-straight win over a top-25 opponent, but Brown outscored Mercyhurst 4-1 in the final period to stave off the upset bid.

The Lakers, now 11-6 overall, suffered their first defeat since an 11-10 decision at Gannon on Sept. 25, ending an impressive seven-game winning streak. It was also the first time the team had been outscored in the fourth quarter since Sept. 28.

The two squads traded goals in the first period, and the Lakers scored three times in the second to take a 4-3 lead at the half. Brown tied it up with three goals of their own in the third before pulling away in the final frame.

With Friday's loss, the Lakers fall to 1-4 against nationally ranked opponents, with their lone win comig against then-No. 18 Redlands on Sept. 15. The Lakers, however, have been close. Mercyhurst's last three ranked opponents have combined to outscore them by a slim 29-24 margin.

Junior Alex Perry led the Mercyhurst effort with four goals, bringing his season total to a team-best 38. Junior Oscar Calderon scored once and recorded three steals. Junior Andrew Schonhoff also added one goal, one assist, one steal and four ejections drawn. Ryan Holt chipped in a goal and an assist.

Freshman goalie Andy Sekulski played all four quarters and stopped 10 shots.

Mercyhurst travels to MIT on Saturday to begin play in the Division II Eastern Championships against Salem International. The Lakers enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Division II bracket.