Twins and best friends, lacrosse enemies on Saturday
Mark and Trish Brandau had watched one game on television, driven from their Maryland home to New York for a second, flown to Denver for a third, taken the red-eye back to New York for a fourth, and finally had settled back at home when family matters went from frantic to surreal.
The NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament selection show appeared on ESPNU at 9 p.m. Sunday. The brackets were posted, and wouldn’t you know it?
Georgetown, with a freshman named Chris Brandau, vs. Yale, with a freshman named Matt Brandau.
Brother vs. brother. Twin vs. twin. Shooter vs. goalie. “We saw it and just laughed out loud,” Mark said. “Both boys called, and we were just cracking up. It is the best of all things and the worst of all things.”
Family and friends, yes, texts were flying. In New Haven, Matt, who has set the Yale record for points in a season by a freshman, shot one to Chris.
“It was like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’ ” Matt said.
Chris texted back, “How could you have expected anything different?”
“We were just laughing,” Matt said. “We couldn’t believe it. We were so excited.”
Ranked near the top of national polls all season, Yale was going to make the 16-team NCAA Tournament. Georgetown needed to claw its way to the Big East title. On Thursday night, with Trish and Mark watching the semifinals from home, Chris entered the game after halftime and Providence leading 9-6. He played terrific and the Hoyas roared back from a 12-9 deficit with four unanswered goals in the fourth quarter.
Later, Chris would call home.
“He told us he’d be starting his first game on Saturday,” Trish said. “We made flight arrangements to Denver. We couldn’t miss his first college start.”
“That’s dedication,” Matt said.
First would be the drive up the Jersey Turnpike to Columbia, where Matt led Yale on Friday night with five goals in a 15-10 Ivy League semifinal triumph over Cornell. Then came the flight to Denver as Georgetown beat Denver 12-9 — 15 saves by Chris — for the Big East title and an automatic NCAA berth. A red-eye flight back to New York for a noon start Sunday for the Ivy League title: Penn 12, Yale 11. Still, there would be an at-large berth for the Elis.
“Postgame in Denver and again in New York everybody was like ‘What if we play …’ And we’re like, ‘Nah, it’s not going to happen.’ ”
It happened.
“The joke was, ‘I hope we don’t have conflicting schedules next weekend,’ ” Trish said. “The joke was on us.”
“It’s crazy,” said Matt, third in team goals with 35 and second in points at 52. “When I was watching the Denver game, I was Chris’ biggest fan. Now I’ve got to be his biggest enemy. I’m going to try my best to try to block it out and approach it like he’s any other goalie. But whether we score or he makes a save, it’ll be interesting to look over there and know he’s my twin brother.”
They have faced each other only once in a game a handful of years ago in a summer club tournament.
“It all ended well,” Mark said. “Matt scored two goals on Chris, but Chris saved two shots by Matt. So we consider it a draw.”
“What I remember,” Matt said, “is every time anything happened we were in each other’s face.”
They are fraternal twins. Chris is 13 minutes older, about the only 13 minutes they weren’t battling over something.
“It’s a competition every day,” Mark said. “There has to be a winner declared and the loser is definitely notified he is the loser.”
Whiffle ball, video games — you name it, Mark said. Mini golf. Who’s the team captain? ACT scores. Yes, ACT scores. This story is Brandau family legend. It even appeared in The Baltimore Sun a few years ago. Chris took the ACT first and emerged supremely confident, texting his twin, “No way you’re topping that.” Matt took the test a few weeks later, had a better score and immediately texted, “Just wanted to let you know if you needed any tutoring help, just come to me.”
They both got into their first choices. Yale. Georgetown. Not too shabby.
Their older half-brother Tim played lacrosse at Bucknell. Hooked early, the twins soon would be practicing relentlessly against each other. One shooting. One saving. Pushing. Pushing. Pushing. A few tears dropped. A few tempers lost.
“We’re best friends,” Matt said. “That’s the great thing about competing so hard with each other. At the end of the day we’re always on each other’s team. No matter what.”
“Freshman year high school, they both tried out for varsity,” Trish said. “I picked them up in the car, Chris ran over with a big smile going, ‘Matt made varsity!’ I go, “Great and what about you?’ He said, ‘I’m playing JV and that’s where I should be to get reps. But Matt made varsity!’ They’ve always been the other’s best champions.”
Push each other. Pull together. They’d both be stars at the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland. Matt would be an Under Armour All-American, ranked No.
17 on Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Recruits. That didn’t necessarily excuse him from chores. At practice, coach Brian Farrell would have Matt shoot on Chris.
“The loser would have to do dishes at home after dinner,” Matt said. And?
“We’re both pretty good dishwashers.”
There were rituals, too. At the end of pregame warmups, before the teams were about to take the field, Matt would always take two last shots at Chris.
“He’d have to catch them,” Matt said, “throw them back to me and then we’d high-five and hug.
“But the one thing I’ll always remember, we lost in the championship or semifinals in high school, and at the end of every season, I’d make the walk from the attack side of the field to the defensive side and give him a big hug. It was always a special moment. It was sad, but it was really nice to spend it with him.”
That moment will happen again in some form Saturday afternoon at Yale. But first, the twins must battle. Matt said his teammates obviously are aware of the situation but are allowing him to approach it in his own way. As of Tuesday, the twins were still talking.
“We’re also trying to avoid the subject as much as possible,” Matt said. “We’re not giving up each other’s secrets, but I’m figuring he’s starting again. Wednesday or Thursday, we’ll cut off communication.
“Yeah, he probably knows where I’ll shoot it, but I also know how he plays goal. It’ll probably be
50-50.”
Matt Brandau smiles. He smiles easily. He loves Yale. His teammates and coaches have been awesome, he said. And while Yale lost Tewaaraton Award winner Ben Reeves, among others, he insists he feels “no pressure” to fill anyone’s shoes from the 2018 national champions.
“New team,” he said. “Our own chance to do something special. And this weekend? I’m playing for my other brothers, but when it’s over I’ll support Chris if we win, and he’ll support me if they do.”
Mom and Dad, meanwhile, get to be in one place this weekend. Dedicated parents with divided emotions.
“Look, somebody is going to win, somebody is going to lose, but they’re both winners,” Mark said. “They’re both in great schools with great teammates and coaches.”
“I really can’t tell if they’re going to be so happy we’re on the same field together,” Matt said. “Or not really know how to handle one of us being really happy and the other one being really sad.”
Either way, it’s going to end with hugs. No doubt.