Rookies Lead Men's Water Polo to 2-1 Start

While the rest of the country enjoyed Labor Day weekend, the Harvard men’s water polo team was busy in the pool, opening its season with a trio of contests on Saturday at the Labor Day Invite, held at MIT’s Zesiger Center.

In the tournament, Harvard came away with two victories against Yale and Diablo Valley College by scores of 14-12 and 12-5, respectively, but fell to the host Engineers, 19-7.

Despite the return of three of the team’s four top goal scorers from last year, the Crimson’s highly touted freshman class led the way offensively, scoring 19 of the team’s 33 goals on the day. Rookies Blake Lee and Noah Harrison paced Harvard (2-1) with six goals apiece.

Following the graduation of long-time goalie Alexandre Popp ’12, senior Jimmy Field and freshman Colin Woolway split time in goal. On the weekend, Field tallied 12 saves and Woolway recorded six.

Harvard coach Ted Minnis has yet to tap either as the full-time starter to replace Popp.

"They’re both playing really well…[but] I’ll know by the time we play Princeton [on Sept. 8],” Minnis said.

The Crimson is looking to get back to the CWPA Eastern Championships after a 10-20 overall record and a seventh-place finish at the CWPA Eastern Championships last season.

HARVARD 12, YALE 5

The Crimson’s final game at the Labor Day Invite stood in contrast to its performance earlier that day against the Engineers.

Against the Bulldogs, Harvard started strong, scoring seven goals in the first half, and never looked back.

Junior co-captain Will Roller, Lee, and Harrison each contributed two goals to key the offense.

On defense, the Crimson smothered the Bulldogs with 15 steals, while Field and Woolway combined for six saves.

MIT 19, HARVARD 7

Harvard struggled early and often against the Engineers on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

"They came in and jumped on us early," Minnis said. “We probably hit the post a good 60 percent of the time."

Supported by a feisty home crowd, MIT capitalized in transition and frustrated the Harvard offense with steals and deflections.

While the Crimson was able to keep it close early in the first period with goals from Harrison, the Engineers muscled shots late in the frame to establish a commanding lead.

While MIT was able to convert on many of its offensive sets, the Crimson encountered difficulty finding the back of the net.

"You can’t get frustrated," Minnis said. "We don’t shoot that bad everyday, but you have to give credit to MIT and the way they played."

After opening a 9-4 lead at half time, the Engineers only increased their dominance in the second half. The hosts outscored the Crimson, 10-3, in the final two frames to complete the 19-7 rout.

"Any time a team jumps out on you early, it can be frustrating," co-captain Max Eliot said. "But we’re still working out the kinks of our offense and defense.

"We’re definitely looking forward to playing them a second time," he added. “We know we match up with them a few times this season, and we’re looking forward to it."

Field recorded seven saves in the defeat.

HARVARD 14, DIABLO VALLEY COLLEGE 12

In the opening game of the MIT Invitational Tournament, the Crimson defeated the Vikings, 14-12, behind three goals from Roller and Lee.

In the contest, Woolway finished with five saves.Diablo Valley College and Harvard traded goals in the first frame, setting the tone early for a competitive matchup.

At the beginning of the second period, a miscommunication and an errant pass from the Vikings resulted in Diablo Valley College scoring on its own goal, tying up the score at 2-2.

But just before halftime the Vikings scored a quick goal in transition to take the one-point lead, 7-6.Early in the second half, Harvard pulled ahead with timely goals from Harrison, but Diablo Valley College continued to apply defensive pressure and show patience on the offensive end to keep the match close.

At the end of the third frame, the Crimson maintained a three-goal lead over a patient Viking squad.Diablo Valley College’s two fourth-quarter goals proved insufficient to erase the deficit, giving the Crimson a win in its season opener.

—Staff Writer Joseph Pak can be reached at jpak@college.harvard.edu.