Men's Water Polo Beats Princeton, Fall in Ivy Championship Match

The Harvard men’s water polo team extended a streak and snapped another before finishing second at the Ivy League Championships this weekend.

The Crimson’s (9-8, 6-3 CWPA Northern) 14-12 victory over MIT (7-9, 3-6) on Friday was Harvard’s 10th straight over the Engineers, while the 12-6 win against No. 10 Princeton at DeNunzio Pool in Princeton, N.J., on Sunday was the squad’s first triumph over the Tigers since 2001.

In the Harvard program’s first-ever Ivy League Championship Sunday evening, the Crimson could not catch up to No. 10 Brown (15-3, 8-0), falling 13-8.

BROWN 13, HARVARD 8

The Crimson found itself playing from behind most of the game as Brown won its second Ivy League championship since the event began in 2010.

Juniors utility Jake Wyatt and center Luke Irwin supplied the goals for the Bears in a fast-paced opening frame, which saw several big saves and only two ejections.

Though Harvard, paced by junior co-captain and attacker Joey Colton’s three goals, stayed within striking distance during the second and third quarters, Brown maintained a slim lead.

“It was tough to play against Brown after the emotional game against Princeton,” Colton said. “Fatigue starts to play a factor when you play two teams as good as those back-to-back.”

The fatigue showed in the last quarter as the Crimson managed only one goal in eight minutes. Brown, on the other hand, added three tallies to pull away for a comfortable win. Junior Bears goaltender Luke Weiser finished the game with a career-high 20 saves.

“Brown’s a really good team,” Minnis said. “I was just happy for the seniors that they had a chance to play in the final of this tournament before they graduated.”

HARVARD 12, PRINCETON 6

Before Sunday, Harvard had lost to Princeton 15 times in a row. Whether the game was a hard-fought overtime affair or a lopsided blowout, the final result was always the same–a Tigers victory.

On Sunday, a 16th straight loss seemed on hand for the Crimson halfway through the latest meeting between the two sides. In the second quarter, Princeton had seized momentum by erasing an early deficit and holding Harvard scoreless.

Despite the opposition’s momentum and home advantage, Harvard came out with even more energy in the second half. Five different Crimson players found the back of the net in a flurry to gain a commanding 9-5 lead.

“The energy on our bench, the way the kids executed, was amazing,” Harvard head coach Ted Minnis said. “There was that special excitement of a championship run.”

Riding this wave of emotion, Harvard made sure there would be no comeback this year.

The team scored three more goals in the last quarter to finish the game on an 8-2 run.

Goaltender Colin Woolway stood out on defense, making several key stops to spark the rally. The senior finished the game with eight saves.

HARVARD 14, MIT 12

Before the Crimson had a chance to end their losing streak against Princeton, Harvard faced a spirited MIT team that was trying to improve its own record in a one-sided rivalry.

The Engineers were the stronger side for much of the game, and did not lose its lead until the fourth quarter, when the Crimson took the lead for good. The energy was palpable, with fans as much a part of the game as the players themselves.

“It’s a good challenge to play there,” Minnis said. “They’re always banging the pots and making it tough for our players to focus.”

The change in venue made for a different matchup than when the two teams met earlier this season at Blodgett Pool. That day, Harvard handily beat MIT, 15-9.

“The crowd definitely gives us a mental edge,” freshman MIT attacker Jeffrey Zhang said.

Senior team scoring leader Noah Harrison added to his total with four goals in the game. Freshman attacker Grayson Judge matched Harrison with four strikes of his own, doubling his previous single-game high.