Aquawomen Make a Splashing Debut

It took the Harvard women's water polo team three years to earn varsity status. And in their first varsity game last night, it took them all of 15 seconds to prove that they had earned it.

Just after the opening spring, sophomore Annie Wilson took a pass from Allison Greis and gunned the ball past the Boston College goalie to give the Crimson a one-point advantage and a lead that it never relinquised enroute to a 22-0 pasting of the Eagles.

It was the kind of opening night found more often in fairy tales than in Blodgett Pool. It was all Harvard all night as the aquawomen showed the first fruits of the five-a-week practices and the new found dedication of varsity status.

"It wasn't bad," Harvard Coach Steve Pike said after his team had finished obliterating his alma mater. "I was pleased that they were more prepared for the first game this year than they were for any game last year.

No Stage Fright

And despite the fact that Pike pulled his starters early and often, the aquawomen were too excited about opening night to slow down the play to the lethargic pace favored by the Eagles.

"They're not all going to be like that," said Co-Captain Martha Wood, who celebrated after leading the battle for varsity status by scoring six goals. "I play hole, usually the hole is played a lot tighter. If someone were covering me properly I would have been fouled."

As it was, Wood was controlling the hole (the area right in front of the goal) and the Eagle defense was such a non-factor that she was able to pivot and fire the ball in at short range.

Friday at 4.30 p.m. at Blodgett, the aquawomen have their first real showdown of the year with their archrivals from Brown, and the going will be a whole lot rougher for Wood. She will take on the premier female water polo player the Crimson faces this year in Susie Janzen.

"It'll be much faster and rougher, definitely in the hole," Wood said. "I won't get anything."

Wood and her teammates got everything and anything last night Freshman Kelly Withy had three goals and showed the skills she developed playing boy's water polo in California Kristan Johnson, Cathy Yarael, Angela Nahl, Co-Captain Sarah Spence and Tanya Humphreys all had two scores apiece. In goal, Co-Captain Sally Glimp performed well and shared a shutout with Kathy Toth.

"The team can't count on them shutting out every opponent," Pike said. "We have very good depth in our field players, several good setters and sprinters and a lot of outside shooters."

All evening the Crimson beat B.C. to the ball and showed its great speed in counter attacks.

Played with five swimmers and a goalie on each side, water polo combines much of basketball and soccer in the water. Although it appears to be mayhem to the uninitiated, the game is a series of carefully planned plays, defenses and counter-attacks. Often, when playing a less talented and organized team like B.C., a superior team will get off its game and start to play down to the opponent's level of skill.

But despite the fact that the Eagles, who had only 10 members dressed, played only a couple of players with much discernible talent, the Crimson remained sharp and organized throughout the game.

Wood attributed it to the newfound seriousness of varsity status. "Everybody know the plays," she said. "Before you weren't sure."

Although the women have only level two varsity status--which brings them no funding, only more pool time--Pike says the team's attitude has turned around.

"There were eight or nine who deserved varsity status who felt they could leave a legacy," Pike said. "It's giving them a supporting cast of characters. We have 18 women and two more hurt. Before, we didn't always have enough to scrimmage in practice."

"This wasn't the first time we had played tonight. We've played five of six times in practice. And, to put it bluntly, the competition in practice is tougher than this tonight."

In granting the squad varsity status, Harvard became only the fourth school in the nation with a women's varsity water polo team to call its own. The other three are in California, although Princeton has a sub-varsity team, the Tiger version of level-two status.

Princeton, Brown, Queens and Slippery Rock, if the Crimson ever meets it, will provide the toughest competition for the aquawomen.

The Bruins, however, are more than just a team to beat--they are the vital team to beat. As a club team, the Crimson never topped Brown and nothing would be sweeter than finally dunking the Bruins in Harvard's second-ever varsity contest.

Brown is the Eastern water polo powerhouse. It's men's team regularly dominates non-California play and shows well in the NCAA's. Its women, keyed by Janzen and a standout goalie Audrey Wolfolk, are starting a dynasty of their own, and Harvard's aquawomen would love to play giant-killer.

Over the season the Crimson will play about 18 games (the schedule will be finalized this weekend), including a Harvard-hosted weekend tournament at Blodgett on April 7 and 8.

With Pike at the controls, a lot of seniors savoring their first appearance in the varsity limilight and a promising group of under-classmen, the future looks bright.

And constant practices cause a serious attitude towards the sport to penetrate beyond the core of the squad, a factor that will pay dividends as the season winds on.

For now, however, the new varsity athletes are revelling in their new-found success.

And you would be too if you won your first game, 22-0.