Georgetown club water polo started the 2002 season strong with four wins at the University of Virginia Tournament Sept. 28 and 29. The No. 19 Hoyas claimed key victories over division rivals North Carolina State, UVA, James Madison and East Carolina.

The Hoyas mixed an often-explosive offense with a stifling defense all weekend, getting contributions from newcomers and veterans alike.

Senior Rich Storey led the team with 13 goals on the weekend, including a game-winner in triple overtime against JMU. Georgetown scored a total of 45 goals in four games. But strong defensive play was just as key to the Hoyas’ success. Led by Junior Captain att Sullivan, Georgetown surrendered an average of only seven goals per game.

“Sully was dominant from his position of hole-defense,” Senior Captain Marshall Spooner said. “Basically, he covered the opposing team’s biggest offensive weapon on every possession, and I can only remember one goal that he gave up all weekend.”

Freshman Nick Libertiny was another catalyst to Georgetown’s success at UVA. Libertiny was a spark off the bench for the Hoyas all weekend, scoring in every game.

“It seemed like anytime people were getting tired in there, Nick would come in and make a big play,” Spooner said.

Georgetown kicked off the tournament Saturday with a hard-fought 11-7 win over NC State. Spooner and Storey combined for seven goals, but the Wolfpack kept the game close. The game stayed close until Junior Carlos Bena’s counter-attack goal late in fourth quarter helped Georgetown pull away.

The second game was another close match. The Hoyas prevailed over the host Cavaliers 9-7. Storey and sophomore Kirill Choulga combined for five goals to lead Georgetown’s attack. The Hoyas played an excellent game defensively, as well. With the game tied 7-7 in the fourth quarter, Bena was the hero for the second day in a row, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal on a breakaway.

Georgetown stole a triple-overtime thriller from JMU, 7-6. Goalies for both teams played remarkably well. Georgetown senior ark Hannah kept the game close by making 14 saves, while Sullivan victimized the Dukes all game and finished with 12 steals. With Georgetown trailing late, senior Evan Behr scored to send the game into overtime. Two extra periods passed without a winner, but Georgetown ended the nail-biter in the third overtime when Storey scored the game-winner off a cross pass from Bena.

“It was the most exciting game of the day,” Spooner said.

After three close games on Saturday, Georgetown came back on Sunday with an easy win against Atlantic Division newcomer East Carolina. The 18-8 victory allowed some of Georgetown’s younger players an opportunity to gain experience. Choulga and Behr scored three goals each, while Libertiny produced off the bench as he did all weekend, scoring two goals against the Pirates.

Spooner was pleased with Georgetown’s performance at Charlottesville. The Hoyas showed resiliency and determination by winning three close games in the span of several hours Saturday.

“This weekend was exactly how we wanted to start the year off,” Spooner said. “The close game shows how far this team has progressed. Two, three years ago, we didn’t win those games against UVA and JMU. But now this team has so much poise, we just expect to win, even when we’re down.”