By David Fierro
The Cardinal Tournament has been the scene of one of the best water polo rivalries in the region each year and this past Saturday, the tradition continued with Greenwich High School hosting Brunswick School for the tournament’s title before a packed house at GHS.
The championship game of the 48th annual Cardinal Tournament certainly didn’t disappoint, as the Bruins and Cardinals Varsity A teams each had their moments of glory in a hard-fought, physical, back-and-forth neighborhood matchup.
Since 2018, the Bruins have ended the competitive tournament as champions and Saturday, they successfully defended their title.
Senior co-captain Ryan Ohl scored five goals, while senior co-captain JP Lavin tallied twice to lead Brunswick to a 9-8 come-from-behind win against host Greenwich in the title game of the 48th annual Cardinal Tournament.
The victory gave the Bruins their fifth straight Cardinal Tournament title, with each of their victories coming against the rival Cardinals. Saturday’s intense championship game was one of the most competitive the matchups the teams have played against each other in recent seasons.
“That’s definitely my hardest Cardinal Cup, we made some key mistakes, I made some key mistakes,” Ohl said. “The team is just so good that regardless of the amount of mistakes we make, we are still capable of being at our best at the end of these games.”
Juniors Jack Scafidi and Adam Blum registered one goal apiece for the Bruins, who trailed the Cardinals, 2-1, after the first quarter, before forging a 4-4 halftime tie.
“In the first half, our shots just weren’t falling at all, their goalie was definitely strong,” Lavin said. “We didn’t have a rhythm at all, but after halftime, we definitely picked it up. We started shooting top corners more and ultimately, the shots fell.”
Greenwich was sparked by junior goalie Leo Dilascia, who rose to the important occasion. Dilascia recorded 16 saves in the championship game, five of which came during the first quarter.
Senior captain Csongor Bartuszek scored two goals, as did junior Luke Mendelsohn for Greenwich. Sophomore Robert Norell had a hat trick for Greenwich, which lost to Brunswick in the championship game of the recent Beast of the East Tournament in Pennsylvania, 16-11.
“I’m really proud of our team,” GHS coach Jimmy Ramaley said. “I know it’s hard to take morale victories when you lose, but the way we played and with everything going back and forth, was impressive. We played them at Beast of the East and we gave up eight goals in a quarter and tonight, we held them to nine – so, it was great improvement.”
Mendelsohn gave Greenwich a 1-0 lead, scoring with 5:18 remaining in the first quarter of the title tilt. Ohl tallied just nine seconds later, making it 1-1, then Bartuszek converted a shot midway through the opening quarter, putting the Cards ahead, 2-1.
Meanwhile, Dilascia enabled the hosts to stay in front in the first quarter with five saves.
“That really helped us,” Greenwich senior captain Chris Killeen said of Dilascia’s play in goal. “Being able to rely on our goalie that much and know that he let in nine goals and had 16 saves – that’s almost unheard of, that’s college level. That allows us to do a little bit more risky things, because we know that he’ll have our backs.”
Norell made it 3-1 in favor of the Cardinals with a goal at the 3:38 mark of the second quarter, yet the Bruins closed to within a goal when Lavin tallied just 11 seconds later.
Another goal by Norell gave GHS a 4-2 advantage with 2:35 to go in the second period. The Bruins ended the opening half with two straight goals – with Blum and Scafidi tallying – knotting the score at 4-4 at halftime.
Norell began the second-half scoring, converting a shot with 6:21 left in the second quarter, giving GHS a 5-4 edge. Brunswick took its first lead of the matchup at 6-5 behind consecutive goals from Ohl, the second of which occurred with 3:53 to go in the third quarter.
“We were shooting the whole game and we had great opportunities, but also, their goalie had a great game he played phenomenal,” Brunswick coach Ulmis Iordache said. “We kept trying and I’m very proud of my guys, because they never stopped, they always believe in themselves. We came back in the game nicely.”
A Lavin goal extended Brunswick’s lead to 7-5, but Mendelson made it a one-goal game with 5:54 left in the fourth quarter. Ohl tallied again, then Cardinals senior captain Santi DiComo scored off a lob shot, bringing the score to 8-7 with 3:44 to go in the game. The Bruins’ ninth goal came from Ohl, while Bartuszek had the Cards’ eighth tally.
Like his counterpart, Dilascia, JR Lindberg, a sophomore was stellar in goal for the Bruins. He made five second-quarter saves for the visitors.
“Our goalie JR, a sophomore, the amount he has progressed since the first day of practice has been incredible,” Ohl noted. “He’s so confident out there. It’s been an amazing season. Everyone works hard, we are all in it together. That’s what makes the program so special, because everyone works hard together in practice.
Greenwich’s A team defeated Brunswick’s B squad in the first round of the Cardinal Tournament, 14-5. In the semifinal-round, the Cardinals’ A team topped YPRO, 13-11, setting up their championship matchup with Brunswick’s A team.
“I’m super impressed, especially after the Beast of the East in Pennsylvania,” DiComo said of Greenwich’s performance in the title game. “What a game that we had, it was pretty emotional. I was really happy with our team. They are rivals, so it was exciting and it’s fun playing them.”
“After the first quarter, I knew we were going to have a good game and then when our goalie started playing the way he was playing – it was unbelievable,” DiComo continued. “Leo blocked some important shots.”
Said Killeen: “At the end of the day, it was a really amazing game. No complaints whatsoever, we both let it all hang out, we both pushed each other a lot. Our goalie, Leo, saved us in a lot of clutch moments. I am really happy I end my Cardinal Tournament career with this game. It’s the best game I’ve seen here in five years.”
Greenwich’s record stands at 15-2, its only losses coming against Brunswick.
“I’m really happy we had the opportunity to play in such a high-level game,” Ramaley said.
Brunswick’s A team began the Cardinal Tournament with a 20-2 win vs. Greenwich’s B squad. The Bruins’ A team then edged CT Premier, 11-9, n the semifinals to make it back to the tourney’s final.
“There’s nothing better than a good team win like that,” Ohl said of the title game. “No one does anything more for our team than our coaches. We wouldn’t be here today without our coaches.”
The Bruins were pleased to see a good number of their fans turn out for the championship matchup.
“It’s always great to have fans, especially not at your home pool,” Lavin noted. “It makes the game better and definitely contributed to the win. We have had a great season and I look forward to continuing that.”
Brunswick sports a record of 15-3-1 so far this season. They play Loomis Chaffee School and Phillips Andover Academy Saturday at Loomis, then will host Hamden Hall Country Dday School (Oct. 21) and Hopkins School (Oct. 25). Another meeting between the Bruins and Cardinals will take place on Oct. 27 – this time at Brunswick.
“We played very consistent defense and stepped up on defense,” Iordache said. “Since their goalie had such a good day, we needed to step up on defense. Our team is calm, confident – they trust in each other. The same with Greenwich High School, I’m proud of those guys too. It was a very good game, they were amazing. The Cardinal Tournament is always unbelievable. Those guys do such a good job of hosting it.”
