W. Water Polo Finishes Strong

The 1998-99 Harvard women's water polo team finished its season with a strong record (21-12, 8-3 Ivy) and by capturing fourth place at the Eastern Regional Tournament, a lone goal away from placing in the top three and thereby qualifying for NCAAs.

The team's performance at Easterns was the highlight of the season, when all the team's energy and enthusiasm came together to produce their finest polo play of the year.

"Easterns was phenomenal," captain Kit Hodge said. "Every single player played to her potential, the team played to its potential, and it paid off."

"The eventual fourth-place finish was upsetting," Hodge added, "But I know that we all came away from that weekend feeling really proud of ourselves. We certainly earned the respect and admiration of many of the other teams and coaches."

The team came into Easterns after having survived a whirlwind season of ups and downs, including the mid-season acquisition of a new coach and inconsistent play.

"Certainly, the team faced a number of challenges and, at points, it seemed as though we had let them win," Hodge said. "However, the last few weeks of play proved to us that we could rise above these challenges."

The season began and ended on good notes. The first game of the season was a close 7-5 loss to UMass, which would prove to be Harvard's biggest nemesis of the season. This game gave Harvard great confidence heading into the season, since UMass was predicted to be the No. 1 team in Eastern region.

By the end of the year, Harvard had played UMass on five separate occasions, losing each time. However, the final match against UMass revealed the tenacity of the Harvard team. The two teams squared off in the Easterns semifinal, and Harvard lost by a 6-5 margin in double overtime. Although disappointed by losing, the Crimson was extremely proud of its play.

In between the first and last matches against UMass, Harvard encountered some smooth sailing as well as some choppy seas. The low point of the year came at ECACs, when the Crimson suffered embarrassing losses at the hands of Maryland and Princeton.

"Basically, we got crushed because we just didn't play like we cared," Hodge said. "Knowing that we could have played them better, as we would prove later, those losses really brought team morale to a all-time low."

The following weekend brought more tough times, when several members of the team endured injuries and stinging eyes from a chemically imbalanced pool at Northerns. The strength of the chlorine had disabled the Harvard players' ability to see during the game.

However, despite these trying events, Harvard maintained its togetherness.

"Our team has always been remarkable for its internal cohesion," Hodge said. "In the past, we've had difficulty translating this into solid team performance in the water. However, one of the best things to come out of this year was the development of just that."

"We were all happily surprised at how much we had improved our team dynamic at Easterns," Hodge added. "It made a tremendous difference and proved quite successful."

The team had also overcome the adjustment that comes with a head coaching change during mid-season. The assistant coach Rick Handt took over the reigns from Sachi Gahan in late March and led the team to a strong finish.

"The team bonded so much in the middle of the season and that was extremely evident in our play at the end of the season," sophomore Natasha Magnuson said. "We were able to focus on polo a lot more towards the end of the season."

On the season, Harvard scored 397 goals and only allowed its opponents 184. Sophomore Jess Gunderson--voted Most Valuable Player--led the team with 107 goals, and junior Leslie Bennett and Magnuson were the next highest goal-scorers, with 62 and 59, respectively.

Gunderson also led the team in assists with 60, while Magnuson was the leader in steals, boasting 54.

The two goalkeepers posted impressive save percentages--junior Carine Williams with 59 percent and freshman Danielle McCarthy with 56 percent.

The team now looks to next year with great confidence. Harvard will lose only one player, senior Becky Gaines. Rising seniors Leslie Bennett and Angela Munoz will join Hodge as co-captains of the team.

"Next year, we need to concentrate on rebuilding basic skills and to continue to develop as a team both in and out of the water," Hodge said." Our defense is pretty solid at this point, it's our offense that needs work."

"We'll probably work a lot on outside shooting and driving," Hodge added. "Most importantly, though, is the need to play consistently. We need to make the effort to play good polo every single time we get in the water, at practice or in a game situation."

The team hopes to carry the momentum gained at the end of this season into next year.

"It is important for us to start off the season where we left off this season, showing our opponents that we can still take them to double and triple overtimes," Magnuson said.