Polomen Get Big Shock in Philly

The Harvard men's water polo team suffered a setback this weekend at the Eastern League Tournament, losing two tough contests in Philadelphia, Penn.

Held at Villanova University, the tournament gave Harvard a chance to prove itself against key opponents. Unfortunately, Harvard's high hopes were deflated virtually from the outset, as the Crimson unexpectedly dropped its opener against Iona, 13-12, in overtime.

Disappointing

"That was very disappointing loss, especially in the first game of the tournament," Co-Captain Chad Barker said.

"It set a bad tone for the rest of the weekend," fresh man Alex Kim said.

Only a few hours later, through, the Crimson rebounded behind the strong play of junior Jeff Zimmerman and sophomore Jose Busquets, winning a hard-fought second game against host Villanova 17-14.

Anticipated Match

Harvard's third game--against Princeton--was the most highly anticipated match of the tournament. The Tigers are one of the top teams on the East Coast.

Harvard, however, was not up to the task, as inconsistent play early in the game, coupled with a strong Princeton offensive attack, led the Tigers to 16-11 victory.

Despite the loss, the Crimson came out of the game convinced that it could play with the Tigers.

"They were good, but I definitely think we can beat them later in the season," Barker said.

"I don't think that this one game is a measure of how we'll do against them in the future," Zimmerman said.

Get Rid of Frustrations

The frustrated Harvard squad finished the tournament on Sunday morning by crushing St. Francis, 20-6, with all of 14 of its players seeing playing time.

"I think we were kind of upset at ourselves for having let the Iona and Princeton games get away from us, so St. Francis was a good way to end the weekend," Barker said.

With important tournaments filling the next four weekends, the Harvard squad (7-3 overall) has little time to reflect on what might have been.

The Northeast League Tournament will by played here in Cambridge at Blodgett Pool this weekend, and on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. the Crimson will have a rematch against archival Brown, whom it pulled a dramatic upset over earlier this season at Harvard.

Looking Ahead

After that, the team can look forward to November 7-8, when it and the other seven best teams on the East Coast will duel at the Eastern Championship, in Annapolis, Md.

"In the long run, that's what we're really aiming for," said Zimmerman, the Crimson's leading goal scorer. "This weekend may have been disappointing, but it wasn't the end."