Harvard Crushes Yale and Dartmouth

The No. 19 Harvard men's water polo team (15-6, 3-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association) capped off another successful weekend of play with two convincing victories Saturday night at Blodgett Pool.

Moving easily past both club teams, the Crimson knocked off both Yale and Dartmouth (8-2) in back-to-back games. Harvard defeated the Big Green, 12-3 and then moved on to drown the Bulldogs, 10-2.

"We just came out and played well in our games tonight," said Crimson junior Rob Collier. "On the whole, our opponents were not as competitive as some of our competition has been so far this season. That situation gave us the chance to get lots of guys into both games who have not had the chance to play very often."

Harvard's success against Yale and Dartmouth was a result of its offensive depth and consistent defense. The Crimson mounted scoring attacks on the Bulldogs and the Big Green that paralyzed their chances of keeping the games close.

The Crimson's match up against Yale reconfirmed Harvard junior river Mike Crosby's offensive dominance on the team. Crosby created lots of momentum and easily put away four goals for the Crimson. Earlier Crosby had capitalized on two scoring opportunities against the Big Green.

"We were happy to execute well and play good team ball," Crosby said. "In previous years these other Ivy League teams have not been on our schedule."

Against Dartmouth, it was an all-out Harvard attack on the Big Green. Eleven Crimson players scored the 12 goals in the defeat over Dartmouth.

"The best part about these games is that 26 players saw significant time in the water," Crosby said. "A couple freshmen made their college water polo debuts in these games."

Harvard 10, Yale 2

The Crimson was able to showcase its depth against the Bulldogs with some quick shooting and a relentless defense in their 10-2 win over Yale.

Thirty seconds into the first quarter, Mike Crosby began the scoring attack. Crosby was followed up by Crimson sophomore Istvan Zollei, who powered past the Bulldogs for a goal of his own. Zollei would add another goal against Yale and Crosby scored once more in the first quarter and bagged two more in the second.

Freshman driver Henry Stern scored early in the second, and made room for classmate David Stahl, who scored on a pass from junior Charlie Cromwell.

Senior driver Josh Bleisath then turned the second half into his personal showcase.

The second half of the game showcased senior driver Josh Bleisath--

A freshman walk-on as a goalie, Bleisath started in net his sophomore season. He was converted to driver last year, but against the Eli's, his old experience paid off.

"Before the game,[sophomore goalie]Paul [Tslentis] told me he was hurt," Bleisath said. "He was going to play but he knew he was going to come out early because he was hurt."

Tslentis relented in the middle of the second quarter, having given up just two Bulldog goals. Bleisath went into the game and shut Yale out.

"It's a shame not all Harvard-Yale games end this way," senior driver Dan Bazylewicz added.

Harvard 12, Dartmouth 3

A group effort pushed Harvard right over the Big Green, 12-3.

Junior goalie Gresham Bayne had 11 saves against the Big Green, but the story of the game was the Crimson offense ensemble.

Junior two-meter man Sean Cheng and sophomores Alex Fisher and Mike Masterson all scored in the first quarter, setting the tone against the Big Green.

Junior driver Charlie Cromwell heading up the charge in the second quarter with a goal off an assist from senior driver Kraig Salvesen. Salvesen was rewarded for his unselfish play with a goal of his own.

The Crimson took a commanding 7-1 first half lead on a quick shot off a kick-out move by junior utility Rob Collier.

Harvard did not relent in the second half as Crosby and Bazylewicz each had easy goals and the Crimson sent DarTmouth packing in the fourth quarter with two more strikes.

All told, the weekend sweep extended Harvard's win streak to ten games.

"We're pretty happy with the way the season is going and keeping the win streak alive is a good thing," said Bleisath. "

The Crimson will face the four league opponents next weekend at Amherst, in its quest for a bid in the ECAC and Northern Regional tournaments.

"Going into next weekend, these games are good preparation," said Collier. "We're going to have to play big and want it more than our opponents. It's a matter of staying focused and keeping up our enthusiasm."