Water Polo Struggles But Survives at MIT

A sluggish start couldn’t stop the Crimson attack. In a back and forth contest against a tough MIT squad at Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center last night, the Harvard men’s water polo team rallied for a 10-9 victory, pushing their record to 2-1. Despite trailing by a goal heading into the final quarter, the Crimson dug deep and capitalized on late scoring opportunities to hold off the Engineers (3-6). Sophomore Jeff Lee and senior captain David Tune notched critical goals in the final two minutes to give Harvard a 10-8 cushion, but MIT closed the gap to one with a few seconds left on the clock.

“It was a tense 17 seconds at the end of the game,” senior captain Jay Connolly said. “It was pretty chaotic, but we just controlled the ball and ran out the clock.”

In a game Harvard expected to win, the visiting team found itself in a very tight battle, scratching out a 5-4 halftime lead before foundering in the third quarter. In the end, though, a more talented Crimson squad escaped unscathed.

“We would have liked to win by more,” Connolly admitted. “But, a win is a win.”

The Crimson offense continued its stellar performance, with Tune, junior Egen Atkinson and sophomore Bret Voith each notching two scores. Junior Thomas Baily, Sophomore Alex Thompson and Freshman Evan Zepfel also sent shots past the Engineer goalkeeper, while Fellow rookie Luka Babic added to the stat sheet with a team-leading four assists. Most importantly, perhaps, Harvard converted an outstanding six of eight opportunities with a man advantage.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, the defensive unit was not quite as sharp.

“The big story tonight is that [MIT] had five 5m penalty shots,” explained Connolly, whose ten saves proved crucial in the victory. “That’s usually a result of questionable drive defense.”

Although the high number of penalties may be cause for concern, Lee noted that the offense and defense strive to pick each other up.

“We turned it on in the second half,” Lee said. “The main thing is that it takes all 20 guys [to win].”

Considering Connolly’s performance in net and Tune’s clutch shooting, Lee also praised the poise of Harvard’s captains.

“[Connolly and Tune] are veterans who have been there,” the sophomore said. “When we were down they rallied us. They’re guys we look up to, since they’ve been playing a high level of water polo for a long time.”

The Crimson will certainly look to steady leadership, both from players and head coach Erik Farrar, as it works to remedy its inconsistent play.

“[Coach Farrar] seems encouraged with how we’ve been doing on offense,” Connolly said. “But, there’s going to be a lot of practice on defense tomorrow.”

Friday’s practice will indeed prove important, as Harvard prepares to host the ECAC Championships over the weekend.

Over Saturday and Sunday the Crimson will enjoy the No. three seed as it makes its season debut in the welcoming confines of Blodgett Pool. However, if the defense cannot find new life at home and begin limiting scoring chances, Harvard may find itself in many more close contests this season.

—Staff writer Max Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.