Brown Dunks Aquamen for N.E. Title; Graham's Ejection Leads to Downfall

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.

Once again, the Harvard water polo team was second best, losing to Brown, 10-5, Sunday in the finals of the New England Championships for the sixth consecutive year.

"Psychologically, we quit," said Captain Adam Button.

The Crimson stayed with the Bruins for most for the first half, and were down by a single goal in the waning minutes of the second quarter. Harvard fell apart, however, when goalie Brian Graham was ejected from the contest.

A Brown player had previously been thrown out for taking a swing at Graham, and following a Bruin goal, the Crimson goalie retaliated rather blatantly, kicking a Brown swimmer in the throat.

1$%&*

"I tell my goalies not to take any -- from anybody." Assistant Coach Peter Lansbury said. "But he let his emotions get away from him."

"It hurt us mentally," Button said. The Bruins pounced on Harvard for some quick insurance goals in the aftermath of the meloe, putting the game out of reach.

Harvard did manage to generate a rally late in the game, but the visitors' held on for their fifth straight win of the tourney.

"We weren't expected to win," Harvard junior Brian Johnson said. "Overall, we can't be disappointed given the circumstances."

The Crimson easily cruised through the preliminary rounds of the tournament, drowning MIT, Columbia, Yale, and UMass without breaking a sweat. The wins upped Harvard's slate to.

Center Stage

The Brown-Harvard showdown was clearly the centerpiece for the tournament, however. Although the Cantabs have never beaten Brown, in recent years the matchup has produced consistently close games and a whole lot of animosity.

"There are incidents every year," Button said.

And this time, despite the fact that the Bruins sent their "B" team out to do battle with Harvard, nothing had changed.

The importance of the tournament goes beyond the scores and records of the games, however, for the Cantabs were fighting for a decent seeding in the Eastern Championships.

An eighth place seeding--which would mean facing Brown in the first round--would translate into almost certain elimination. By virtue of their four wins this weekend, however, Harvard all but assured itself of a better seeding.

The Crimson gladiators, who entered the championships at 1--3, were also out to prove they were a better team than their record might indicate.

And they did just that. The offense was sharp and prolific, the defense "was immensely improved," said Button, and the depth of the squad was better than it's ever been.

All this despite a horrible recruiting year (in which only one of Harvard's sought-after players enrolled) and a team that is less than half Californian--a rarity among the nation's top water polo programs.

And the biggest handicap of all for the Crimson--the loss of All-World players Steve Munatones and Dave Fasi to graduation--is being overcome admirably by the squad.

"I don't think we played any better last year with Dave and Steve," Button said.

Johnston agreed. "It hasn't hurt us too much at all," he said, because the Crimson relied on the two stars too much. Now, however, "We've changed the focus of the team for the Better."

Now all they have to do is learn how to tame the Bruins.