Men's Water Polo Wins NWPA Tournament, Earns NCAA Berth

Capping an already historic season, the Harvard men’s water polo team claimed gold in Northeast Water Polo Conference tournament for the first time in the history of the program, and secured a spot in the NCAA Championships.

Traveling to Princeton’s Denuizio Pool, the team now has won 11 of their last 12 games following their victories against MIT, Princeton and Brown.

HARVARD 11, BROWN 7

Securing an 11-7 victory in the NWPC championship matchup against No. 10 Brown (22-8, 8-2), No. 11 Harvard (25-6, 7-3 NWPC) matched the most wins in program history since 2001.

“Against Brown we put together a full 4 quarter team effort top to bottom,” said junior captain utility Harry Tafur. “We stuck to our game plan and everyone gave 100 percent effort for all 32 minutes. It was a great team win.”

Harvard played the Bears twice this season, losing the first meeting 9-7 and taking the second 9-8. This time though, a 3-0 first quarter start distanced Harvard from Brown in the opening minutes. The three-point lead was extended through the half as the teams went to their locker rooms with Harvard up 7-4.

An early second half goal brought the Bears within two but from there Harvard would continue to extend their lead. Three straight goals, two from Tafur and another from sophomore attacker Grayson Judge took the lead to four. Sophomore attacker Nick Bunn tallied the final point for the 11-7 victory.

On the defensive side of the ball, senior attacker Noah Harrison had two steals and two field blocks. Sophomore goalie Anthony Ridgley added three steals and an assist in addition to six stops.

“It was a true team defensive effort,” said senior two-meter defender Dan Stevens. “Every single person on the team contributed; it was a great team win.”

HARVARD 14, PRINCETON 13

In the semifinal matchup Saturday against No. 12 Princeton (18-9, 8-2), Harvard edged by with the 14-13 victory. The competition represents the third time the teams have faced off and with the win, Harvard extended to 2-1 in the series. Harvard took the first matchup, 8-7 and the Tigers the second, 11-10.

“Our team defense was outstanding,” Ridgley said. “Our depth has been a strength all year and that was highlighted this weekend as we had production on offense and defense from everyone on the roster.”

Goals by senior attacker Noah Harrison, junior utility Colin Chiapello and freshman attacker Charlie Owens in the first quarter led Harvard to take the early 3-2 lead. Five more goals by each team led to an 8-7 Harvard advantage at the half.

For the duration of third quarter the two teams matched scores with three apiece. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Princeton took their first lead of the matchup. Down 13-12 in the fourth, Harvard’s captain attacker Joey Colton scored the tying goal with only two minutes left. With less than a minute left, Colton then replicated the previous goal, securing the victory.

Chiapello led Harvard in points with three while Colton had two of his own with 3 assists. Ridgley matched quarterfinal performance with ten saves.

“We've really gelled together as a family,” Tafur said. “We hold each other accountable for our mistakes which pushes us to work harder and not let each other down. We all found our roles and put it together for the end.”

HARVARD 14, MIT 8

In their first match of the tournament, Harvard took on the Engineers (10-14, 1-9). The contest represented the third time the two squads have met, with Harvard taking the first two 11-8 and 12-3. After a slow start Friday night, Harvard advanced to the semifinal round with a clean 14-8 win. The game started out close, with a low scoring first quarter and tied 2-2 scoreboard early in the second quarter.

From that point forward, the game was all Crimson. The remainder of the half featured a 4-1 run by Harvard, extending their lead to three. The beginning of the third quarter built upon this run with four consecutive goals.

Leading in scores for Harvard were senior attacker Noah Harrison with four, Colton with two, and freshman attacker Austin Sechrest with a pair of his own. On the defensive side of the ball Ridgley racked up tallied ten saves.

The three victories guarantee Harvard a spot in the 2016 NCAA Championships.