UMass Sinks M. Water Polo Late

All it takes is one moment of mental breakdown.

The Harvard men's water polo team lost a heartbreaker last night to UMass, the 11th-ranked team in the country and the defending Eastern champions.

The Crimson got off to a slow start, falling behind 3-0 after one quarter.

Yet Harvard immediately responded to the challenge, scoring five unanswered goals in the second period and securing themselves a 5-3 lead at the half.

"At the half, we wanted to stay focused and stay in the game," freshman goalie Ed Chen said. "If you have a lead, there can be a tendency to let your mind wander."

As the fourth quarter began, the Crimson held a 7-5 advantage, tenaciously retaining its two-point lead.

Just when everything seemed to be clicking together for Harvard, UMass came roaring back and knotted the score at 7-7.

Managing a tie against the 11th-ranked team in the nation through regulation would still have been a major accomplishment for the Crimson.

It didn't happen--with only four ticks left on the clock, UMass scored the game-winner to the dismay of the Harvard players and fans at Blodgett pool.

"I don't even know if it was a question of who wanted it more," Head Coach Don Benson said. "Our team really wanted this win."

Although the opportunity for a big upset was lost, the Crimson showed that it can stay afloat with anyone.

The season has been one of ups and downs, and last night's game definitely showed signs of both.

"It seems as if we take two steps forward and two steps back," Benson said. "It affects the team's psyche."

"I have been stressing that we have the talent to beat anyone on the East Coast," he said. "Tonight showed that we have to stop taking a step back."

It is games like this one that build champions. The disappointment of this loss will be a valuable learning experience that could help Harvard in the future.

For a team that has been struggling to refine its teamswork skills, this loss showed that the Crimson is headed in the right direction.

"We've known that we can compete with them," junior co-captain Chip Hellar said. "We lost to them, 16-10, in preseason. This game legitimized the fact in everyone's mind that this wasn't a fluke. We are a strong team."

In two weeks, the Crimson will have an opportunity to get revenge against the Minutemen at Amherst.

But first things first--Harvard will host MIT tommorrow night. UMass  8 Harvard  7