Aquadudes 2nd at NEs

Even after taking the Ivy League title a week ago, the Harvard men's water polo team had something to prove at the New England Championships at Brown Saturday and Sunday.

On the tourney's opening day, Harvard needed a victory over the University of Massachusetts to earn a berth in the Eastern Championships next weekend in Annapolis. Thanks to a hard-won 9-7 triumph, the Crimson will head south.

The next day, there wasn't a playoff berth on the line, or even the Ivy title, now safely salted away--it was just a matter of pride.

The Crimson had swept by the Brown "B" team, 14-4, a week ago, but this time it had to face the Bruin first string. The perennial Eastern Champions continued their decadelong domination of Brown, outstripped the Harvard squad, 14-5.

The victory over UMass was a big one; it gave the Crimson second place in the New Englands, a trip south and the rubber match in a grueling threematch series with the Minutemen this season.

"We kind of wanted to settle the score--let them know who's the second best team in New England," said Tri-Captain Ben Elizondo.

The match was close from the beginning, and with the game clock ticking down in the fourth quarter, the Crimson held a shaky 8-7 advantage. An Elizondo goal iced the contest with only just a minute remaining, and Harvard held off the charging Minutemen the rest of the way.

It was the fifth straight win for the Crimson, and the second of the day. Earlier Saturday morning, Harvard had nipped Yale, 9-7.

The opener was made interesting by the fact that Crimson Coach Chris Hafferty started seven freshmen against the Bulldogs. "We had a little trouble getting started," goalie Greg Beber said. Playing together for the first time, the Class of '90 worked to a 2-1 lead in the first quarter. Most of the regulars came in for the final three periods to preserve the advantage.