Brescia will enter the Italian League playoffs in first place.
In a thrilling derby in the final, 26th, round of the regular season in Serie A1, Brescia defeated Pro Recco 13:12 (3:2, 3:4, 4:2, 3:4) at home. Both teams finished the season with 73 points, but Brescia secured the top spot due to a better head-to-head record, having drawn the first match against Recco 8:8.
Brescia had a 3:2 advantage after the first eight minutes. The hosts earned a penalty shot in their first possession in the second period. Max Irving converted it to a 4:2 lead. Aaron Younger replied with a penalty goal at the other end of the pool. Recco leveled at 5:5 and again at 6:6 in the dying seconds of the second quarter.
The exchange of goals continued in the opening minutes of the second half and ended in the 19th minute when Condemi scored from the penalty line to make it 7:7. Then, Brescia quickly netted two action goals (Del Basso and Dolce) to earn a 9:7 advantage. The hosts didn’t let Recco equalize in the rest of the match. Aaron Younger kicked off the third period with another goal from a penalty shot for 9:10
A pivotal moment in the game was Brescia’s three consecutive extra-player goals, scored by Guerrato, Ferrero, and Guerrato again between the 26th and 29th minutes. This surge gave Brescia a significant lead of 13:9. However, the contest was not over yet. Recco responded with a 3:0 run, narrowing the deficit to just one point, making it 12:13 with 56 seconds remaining on the clock. Brescia managed to maintain its slim lead and secured a big victory until the final buzzer.
Mario Del Basso was the leading scorer for Brescia, netting four goals. Irving contributed three goals, while both Guerrato and Dolce scored two each. Balzarini and Ferrero each found the net once.
Captain Francesco Di Fulvio scored five goals for Recco. Aaron Younger added two goals, and Presciutti, Iocchi Gratta, Durik, Hallock, and Condemi each scored one goal.
The remaining matches of the 26th round will be played on Saturday. Brescia will face Trieste or De Akker in the semifinals, while Pro Recco will play against Savona.
1. Brescia 26 – 73
2. Pro Recco 26 – 73
3. Savona 25 – 63
4. Trieste 25 – 46
5. De Akker 25 – 46
6. Posillipo 25 – 38
7. Roma Vis Nova 25 – 37
8. Ortigia 25 – 32
9. Florentia 25 – 26
10. Quinto 25 – 26
11. Telimar 25 – 25
12. Olympic Roma 25 – 16
13. Catania 25 – 8
14. Onda Forte 25 – 5
