PRINCETON, N.J. – Santa Clara men’s water polo finished the 2015 Princeton Invitational with a 2-2 record, bringing them to 2-3 on the season. After testing the best on the East Coast, the Broncos will return home to begin their California tour.
The weekend was highlighted by a dominating 8-4 win over Saint Francis (N.Y.). Saint Francis, ranked No. 17 in the CWPA preseason national rankings, couldn’t handle SCU’s Julian Fraser and Will Grant who each earned a hat trick
The matchup with No. 13 Brown lived up to expectations as the two teams fought for the lead. Owen Asalone played with a chip on his shoulder, punishing Brown’s defense with four goals. Santa Clara came within one in the fourth quarter, but Brown was able to put in a dagger and the game ended 12-10 in favor of Brown.
Asalone was the top scorer on the weekend for the Broncos with 10 goals. Twelve Broncos scored during the four game weekend, including the first career goals for freshmen Dane Estrella and Scott Zurnacian. Evan Chang continued to create scoring opportunities for the Broncos with 11 earned ejections over the weekend.
Goalies Joe Maestri and Troy Nadel were a force to be reckoned with, recording 41 total saves on the weekend. Nadel, a redshirt junior from Pacific Palisades, Calif., got his first start of the season in a high-scoring game against Harvard.
Santa Clara returns for its 2015 home-opener this week against Princeton on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 3 p.m.
Santa Clara 15, Iona 6
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |||||||||||
| Iona |
0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Santa Clara | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
Goals: Garrat Johnson (1), Demarco Orella (1), Julian Fraser (1), Graham McClone (2), Owen Asalone (3), Reilley May (1), Evan Chang (1), John Raineri (4), Dane Estrella (1)
Saves: Joe Maestri (7), Troy Nadel (1)
Santa Clara 8, #17 Saint Francis (N.Y.) 4
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |||||||||||
| St. Francis |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Santa Clara | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
Goals: Julian Fraser (3), Graham McClone (1), Owen Asalone (1), Will Grant (3)
Saves: Joe Maestri (11)
#13 Brown 12, Santa Clara 10
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |||||||||||
| Brown |
5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Santa Clara | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
Goals: Garrat Johnson (1), Demarco Orella (2), Julian Fraser (1), Owen Asalone (4), John Raineri (1), Dane Estrella (1)
Saves: Joe Maestri (10)
Harvard 16, Santa Clara 12
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |||||||||||
| Harvard |
4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Santa Clara | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Goals: Chase Schaaf (1), Demarco Orella (1), Julian Fraser (1), Graham McClone (1), Owen Asalone (2), Reilley May (1), John Raineri (1), Will Grant (2), Sam Toriggino (1), Scott Zurnacian (1)
Saves: Troy Nadel (12)
