One of the biggest events at Greenwich High School’s pool each school year occurs when Greenwich hosts Brunswick School at the annual Cardinal Water Polo Tournament and this season’s meeting between the Cardinals and Bruins, before an spirited, standing-room-only crowd was especially significant.

The Cardinal Water Polo Tournament began in 1975, courtesy of Terry Lowe, who began the water polo program at Greenwich High and the event celebrated its 50th anniversary when it was held at GHS Oct. 3-4. Numerous seasons have seen Greenwich’s Varsity A team and Brunswick’s Varsity A squad test their skills against each other in the championship game of the Cardinal Tournament and history repeated itself, as the Bruins and Cardinals met again in the tournament’s title match on Oct. 4th.

In a much-anticipated matchup featuring prestigious, premier high school water polo programs, Brunswick earned an impressive 15-8 victory over Greenwich in a game including outstanding action in an absolutely electric atmosphere.

Sophomore Jackson Shaw sparked Brunswick’s potent offense, scoring a game-high 11 goals in the Bruins’ win. The triumph marked the seventh straight season that Brunswick defeated neighborhood rival Greenwich in the championship game of the ultra-competitive Cardinal Water Polo Tournament. Senior Robert Norell paced the Cardinals’ attack with a team-best four goals.

Coached by Ulmis Iordache, Brunswick went 4-0 at the 2025 Cardinal Tournament, beating all of its opponents as it did in its previous championship victories at the annual tourney. Greenwich’s Varsity A squad went 3-1 at its own tournament and left the crowded event proud of their performance.

“It was an emotional and exciting weekend,” said Greenwich coach Jimmy Ramaley, a 2009 GHS graduate, who played water polo at the school for coach Terry Lowe – the founder of the program. “Coach Lowe started everything and I think it was a good showing of how far the sport has come in this area and how high level the game is. That game that just happened, there’s probably at least nine Division I players in it.”

With Greenwich and Brunswick sporting water polo teams that travel the country and consistently top competitors in the region, the Town of Greenwich is, indeed is indeed a place of great water polo talent.

“When it started 50 years ago, kids were barely learning the sport and now where we are – it’s really cool,” Ramaley said of the level of water polo play. “We showcased such a high level of the sport at our pool.”

“This tournament is always great, but this year is special since it’s the 50th edition,” said Iordache, who has built a standout water polo program at Brunswick. “Terry Lowe we owe him a lot, this town would not be where it is without him starting this. We appreciate the legacy he left behind and we’re trying to continue it.”

Junior Callum Holl and Peter Saunders, also a junior, added one goal apiece for the Bruins, who received strong defensive play throughout. Senior goalie JR Lindberg was tested throughout by shots coming at him from all angles by the Cardinals. Lindberg helped keep the Bruins in front with numerous nifty saves.

“We played incredibly well, we clicked on all our cylinders,” Lindberg said following the Bruins’ win versus GHS. “Defensively, we focused on their keep players and were able to keep them in line throughout the game.”

Shaw scored the championship game’s first goal, tallying 13 seconds into the opening quarter to give ‘Wick a 1-0 lead. He tallied with 5:42 remaining in the first quarter, then notched a goal at the 4:54 mark, putting Brunswick on top, 3-0 and prompting a Cardinals timeout.

A goal by senior Jasper Hirt brought the Cardinals to within 3-1 with 1:39 to go in the first period, but Shaw struck again just eight seconds later, making it 4-1 in favor of the Bruins.

Norell, one of the Cardinals’ captains, converted a perimeter shot with 1:00 left in the first period, cutting Brunswick’s lead to 4-2. Shaw then scored two straight goals, extending the Bruins’ advantage to 6-2. The visiting Bruins entered halftime ahead of the Cardinals, 10-4, in the tournament’s title game.

“It was a great tournament as always, great competition, we really appreciate to be a part of it as always,” Brunswick senior Neveh Yechiely said. “Everyone came out, stayed composed, shot well, played good defense and played a great game.”

Greenwich fell behind 13-5 with Shaw continuing to propel Brunswick’s offense in the second half. The Cardinals went on a 3-0 run, courtesy of sophomore standout Dane Fishback. He scored three straight goals, bringing GHS to within 13-8 at the 4:49 mark of the fourth quarter.

“That fourth quarter when we started to get back into it, it was all Dane Fishback, our sophomore,” Ramaley noted. “He is one of the best players in his grade in the country, he plays nationally, he got over the hump had three goals in a row and that was good to see. Robert Norell, our captain, was on all game, he had four goals to lead us.”

Brunswick has been ranked as high as fourth in the nation recently, the only non-California team to be ranked among the top-20 squads. Recently, the Bruins competed in the 3rd annual Next Generation Cup, one of the most competitive 18-and-under tournaments in Europe. The tournament, which took place in Barcelona, Spain, included teams from Spain, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Israel, South Africa, Croatia and Serbia.

“We a nice tournament there, I’m very proud of the boys – there was high quality competition and we did a very good job, we were very close in all the games,” Iordache noted. “We were the only American team there.”

Both teams appreciated the atmosphere at the 50th Cardinal Water Polo Tournament.

“Every year we come here it’s been a great tournament,” Norell said. “Coach does a great job of organizing it with the captains parents. It’s always a great tournament to come to. Shout out to all the fans, they were amazing. They overcrowded the stands.”

Said senior Charlie Koven, who captains the Cards with Norell: “It was a huge success, the community all came together. My mom, Robert’s mom the captain’s parents, they put in so much work for this. That was a huge effort and it was really awesome.”

As for Greenwich’s play, the team knows they put forth stellar efforts in each matchup at the tournament.

“As a whole, I think the team did really well, we fought,” Koven noted. “We were 3-1 in the tournament. Our first three games, we fought well, we played well. Finally, against Brunswick the first half I think we came off to a slow start, which has kind of been a problem for us all year. We still have half a season left, so there’s time to fix that. But the second half, it was 5-4 in the second half. We play them one more time, so we are excited about that.”

So far this season, Greenwich’s varsity squad has competed in the Calvin Behm Tournament, the Battle of the Beltways and the Beast of the East tournaments.

“We knew we would be matched up with Brunswick later on in the tournament,” Ramaley said. “Jackson Shaw is one of the best players in the country, he scored 11 goals and its tough to stop. To get down 10-4 and fight back – to get the crowd going – I thought that was good for team morale and the energy in the building.”

Freshman Ford Paulson led Greenwich in goal throughout the tournament and has been a standout in goal the whole season.

Said Lindberg of the Cardinal Tournament: “The atmosphere is always incredible. Every year we come back and we’re expecting more. You just have to keep yourself mentally prepared for the atmosphere. It was a great game.”

For more pictures of the Greenwich-Brunswick water polo match, please visit: https://www.06878photography.com/boys–waterpolo-greenwich-high-school-a-vs-brunswick-school-a-cardinal-tournament-2025-final