W. Polo Finishes 1-2 at Northerns

The Harvard men's water polo team ended its season yesterday with the gutsy fight that has characterized the team all year.

The Crimson (14-12, 11-6 CWPA) worked hard this weekend for a shot at the Eastern Division Championships but was thwarted by Brown, 6-2, ending its postseason hopes.

On Saturday morning, Harvard faced off against the Bears in the deciding game for the Northern Division Championship.

Both teams felt the pressure that the game signified. For the Crimson, the team's long history of losses to Brown put pressure on this year's squad to be the ones to turn it around. Brown, meanwhile, realized how important the game was for its path of the Eastern Division Championships, and ultimately the NCAA Championships.

Both teams played carefully early on, not wanting to show any weakness, and as a result the first half was a defensive battle.

"I had extreme trouble sleeping the night before," sophomore driver Mike Crosby said. "Brown was under similar circumstances. The score was 0-0 at the end of the second half and both teams were being cautious."

As the third period began, the momentum began to shift to the Bears as Harvard's play became sloppy against Brown's swarming defense.

"They ran a defense we had not seen all season," Crosby said. "They would have two guys guarding the 2-meter position. The 2-meter position is a crucial point in our offense. The ball always passes at that point."

With the pressure of an important game and Brown's effective defense, the Crimson's shooting was not as effective as in previous games.

"In offense we had unusual trouble converting the goal," Crosby said. "We ended up taking some shots that weren't the best opportunities. The shot came from man-up situations. We usually have a much higher shooting percentage."

Brown's offense, meanwhile, began to come alive as the Bear's netted six second half goals to put the game out of reach for the Crimson.

Despite the loss, Harvard demonstrated toughness throughout the contest and never quit even when the Bear's took control of the game.

"We played really well the first half," junior driver Tom Elke said. "There were lapses in the second half and they took advantage of them. We played gutsy throughout and that was nice to see."

After the disappointing loss to Brown on Saturday morning, the Crimson played two more games on the weekend. In the its next game Harvard fell to Fordham, 7-6, but ended its season with a hard won victory against Boston College, 8-7. For its performance on the weekend the Crimson finished in seventh place in the Northern Championships.

The Crimson started off slow in its victorious contest against the Eagles, as Boston College took a commanding 5-2 lead into the half. Harvard demonstrated much poise, however, as it fought back from the three-point deficit. Crosby led the way, playing an exceptional game as he scored the Crimson's first five goals.

In the end, freshman driver Theo Ludwick capped the Harvard comeback with his game-winning goal. Ludwick swam the entire length of the pool while keeping his defender behind him. He then received a nice pass, and put home a strong shot to clinch the game.

Despite the disappointing finish to the season, the Crimson felt good about its play on the whole during throughout the season.

"We started out real slow and didn't do as well as we wanted," Elke said. "But we ended the season on a high note. I am proud of the way we played."