Back in the Pool For St. Francis Brooklyn Men’s Water Polo

Since capturing third place in the 2012 NCAA Men’s Water Polo championship last December, the St. Francis College Brooklyn men’s water polo team has experienced a surprising amount of change. After leading the Terriers to the best finish in program history, head coach Igor Samardzija returned to his native Serbia, replaced by Srdjan Mihaljevic, the team’s assistant coach the past two years.

Both co-captains from the 2012 squad are also gone. Marko Gencic, the Terrier’s all-time leading scorer and an All-American selection in 2010 and 2012, and key defenseman Guram Nozadze were both lost to graduation.

Despite all this, one important fact remains the same: the Terriers are still the team to beat in Eastern water polo.

An infusion of new talent, spearheaded by freshmen Lazar Komadinic and Ilija Djuretic and junior Nathan Kotylak—a transfer from West Valley Junior College in California—as well as a core of returning players, including senior goalie Igor Mladenovic, senior center Bosko Stankovic, and junior defenseman Vuk Vujosevic, make St. Francis the favorite to again capture the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) championship and advance to the 2013 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Tournament.

One important element in the Terriers’ continued success is their advantage at home. Since their last New York City loss on October 2, 2002 to Queens College (N.Y.), St. Francis has won a remarkable thirty consecutive matches, a streak that includes games played at the Pope Physical Fitness Center in Brooklyn Heights as well as at Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatics Center.

Their home winning streak will be tested this weekend as the Terriers—currently ranked 14th in the nation among NCAA Division 1 water polo programs—play host to Brown, Connecticut College, Harvard and M.I.T., matches that have a particular importance to Mihaljevic in his inaugural season as head coach.

“Every game is important, and we certainly want to win at home,” said Mihaljevic. “However more than a game, I tend to focus on plays. I see every individual play as an extremely important part of the process. If you make every play as important, you'll always feel good about game outcomes, regardless of the score.”

Addressing his squad’s personnel changes, Coach Mihaljevic said, “Marko was great for us the last four years and we are lucky to still have Guga (Nozadze) around to help out as an assistant coach. I trust in all of our current guys and the group as the collective to push us over the finish line.”

Mihaljevic—who has been continuously involved with St. Francis since his arrival in 1997 from Croatia as a freshman water polo player—is no stranger to expectations placed on the Terriers. “Sure, we are one of the favorite teams to win but so are Princeton, Brown, Navy, Bucknell and others.”

“What you need to find is a way to stay hungry,” continued Mihaljevic, now responsible for delivering on those expectations despite the Terriers being one of the CWPA’s smallest programs. “That hunger will get you ready, will allow you to demonstrate your talent and I hope will prepare us for the CWPA Men's Championships.”

The Pope Physical Fitness Center in Brooklyn Heights will be the site for this weekend’s matches. Brown, the country’s 17th ranked team, will play today at 2 p.m. while Connecticut College will take on the Terriers tonight at 7 p.m. On Sunday at 11 a.m. the Terriers will play Harvard followed by a 4 p.m. game against the Beavers of M.I.T.

The matchups against their Ivy League guests are of most significance to St. Francis (5-3).

Brown (6-4) comes to Brooklyn ranked 17th in the nation and may be St. Francis’ biggest rival. Led by All-American Svetozar Stefanovic, who graduated last spring, the Bruins and the Terriers have engaged in some memorable contests. Brown will host this year’s CWPA Men's Championship on November 22-24 and are a leading contender to unseat the Terriers, reigning Eastern champs.

Despite a 2-7 record, Harvard’s program may be the most improved in the Northeast, with twelve underclassmen on their roster and a core of players from California—by far the most fertile soil for producing American water polo talent

St. Francis already holds victories over Brown and Harvard this season, as well as Navy, another Eastern stalwart. An early season 15 – 1 loss to third-ranked Stanford, a favorite to reach the NCAA finals, indicates that the Terriers need to improve greatly if they hope to make it to the NCAA tournament in Palo Alto.

The talent is certainly available for the Terriers to capture their third CWPA crown in the past four years.

Goalie Mladenovic remains one of the nation’s best, while contributions from Komadinic (13 goals), Stankovic (15) and Vujosevic (12) have offset the offense lost to Marko Gencic’s graduation.

Mihaljevic is realistic about his team’s prospects this season. ”I expect the league to be more competitive this year,” he acknowledged in a recent interview. “It will take much hard work, good poise between our offensive and defensive game, as well as some luck for us to get back to the NCAA Final Four this year.”

But the freshman coach acknowledges the learning curve he faces. “Clearly there are still a lot of things that I need to learn and understand in order to hone in my coaching and leadership skills,” said Mihaljevic, who then added “I have a pretty good idea of how things work and what to expect from our guys, both inside and outside the pool.”

So, what should local fans expect from Mihaljevic’s team this weekend? “Passion, before all. We want to win, and hopefully we will be able to show how passionate we are about getting that W in our win column.”

St. Francis College, Brooklyn Water Polo, Saturday, September 21, versus Brown University (2 p.m.) and Connecticut College (7 p.m.). Sunday, September 22, versus Harvard University (11 a.m.) and M.I.T. (4 p.m.). Pope Physical Fitness Center, 180 Remsen Street (between Court and Clinton Streets). Admission Free. For more information contact Meghan O’Brien at 718-489-5411 / mobrien@sfc.edu