W. Water Polo Finishes 15th at NCAAs

The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the nation's most treasured rites of spring, in large part due to the annual rise of the "Cinderella team." Each year, one such underdog overachieves in making it to the tournament and competing well until, almost inevitably, the clock strikes midnight on its magical run.

At the NCAA women's water polo tournament in Bloomington, Ind., this past weekend, the clock struck midnight on the Crimson not once but three times.

The Crimson (18-12), the lowest seed in the 16-team field, left the National Championships at Indiana University with a 1-3 record. The weekend began with a loss to top-ranked Stanford, 17-6. The Crimson went on to lose its first two consolation games, with a 12-6 defeat at the hands of No. 9 Hawaii on Friday and a close 8-6 setback to 13th-seeded Loyola Marymount on Saturday. Harvard salvaged its weekend with a win in the 15th-place game against Michigan.

The results were a mildly disappointing end to a spectacular season for the Crimson. Harvard's appearance was its first at Nationals in seven years, and the trip solidified its standing as one of the best water polo team's in the east.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, 11 of the 16 teams in the field were from out west.

Stanford 17, Harvard 6

Harvard's first national competition since 1993 opened against perennial powerhouse Stanford. The Cardinal (27-5) entered the NCAA tournament riding an 11-game winning streak, a run that included victories against No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 California and No. 4 USC. Stanford boasted two 2000 Olympic team members and another player in the midst of a 23-game scoring streak.

The Crimson, meanwhile, had qualified for the tournament by clinching the last of three spots awarded to the eastern half of the country. Stanford, having dominated the traditionally stronger west, was heavily favored.

Stanford did not waste time putting points on the board as the Cardinal's Anne-Marie Keenan scored on sophomore goalkeeper Danielle McCarthy 16 seconds after the opening whistle. Kelly Shouey added another goal, and Harvard found itself down 2-0 two minutes into the first quarter.

Crimson tri-captain Leslie Bennett cut the lead in half less than a minute later with the first of three tallies on the afternoon, but Stanford put up five unanswered goals in the next seven minutes of play. Harvard was outscored by three in each of the first two quarters, and trailed 9-3 at the half.

Stanford never looked back. Shouey and Dani Bell outscored the Crimson by themselves, finishing with three goals apiece. Crimson sophomore drivers Christine Meiers and Natasha Magnuson and freshman Jane Humphries added a goal apiece, but Stanford outscored Harvard 8-3 in the final two quarters to seal the win.

The Crimson did manage to hold Stanford scoreless for the final five minutes, but the game was already out of reach.

Hawaii 12, Harvard 6

The Crimson's first consolation game was decided much later in the contest, but the end result was the same: Harvard's win total remained at 17.

But the Crimson left it all out in the pool against the higher-ranked Wahine (21-15). Humphries scored twice in the opening quarter, including a strike with 5:38 left that deadlocked the contest at 3-3. Hawaii's Lisa DeRossi and Karen Umemura scored later in the quarter to give Hawaii a two-goal lead.

The Crimson defense, which had carried Harvard through the Eastern Championships a week earlier, shone in the second quarter. Harvard held Hawaii to a lone goal in the period. However, the Crimson was unable to get points on the board itself. Unable to capitalize on several break opportunities, the Crimson was held scoreless for a full seven minutes, and faced a 6-3 deficit at halftime.

Third-quarter goals by Christine Meiers, who had three in the game, and Magnuson were not enough to offset the Hawaiian punch of Lisa DeRossi. The Australian junior, who scored four goals three times over the course of the tournament, poured in two of her five in the third.

Hawaii outscored the Crimson 6-3 again in the second half.

Loyola Marymount 8, Harvard 6

In its third game, a balanced scoring attack helped the Crimson remain within striking distance of the Lions. Bennett, Magnuson and junior Jess Gunderson each scored two goals. But ULM's Julia Wald and Lucy Windes each added a pair, and halftime found Harvard behind, 4-3.

A four-goal third-quarter outburst sealed the deal for Loyola. Julia Wald's third goal gave the Lions a four-goal cushion heading into the final quarter.

The Crimson defense regrouped in the fourth shutting ULM out for the last eight minutes. Magnuson and Gunderson scored late in the fourth to bring the Crimson within two, but it wasn't enough to overcome the third-quarter explosion.

Harvard 9, Michigan 8

Harvard's final game came against the 15th-seeded Wolverines. The Crimson, knowing that this contest would be their last in 2000, finally pulled out a win to finish 15th in the field.

The junior duo did it again in the first quarter of this game, as goals from Magnuson and Gunderson put the Crimson up 2-0. Humphries padded the lead with her third goal of the tournament before Michigan's Melissa Karjala broke the shutout.

Gunderson's second goal put Harvard in front, 4-1, at halftime.

Magnuson and Humphries scored two goals apiece in the third, but Karjala would not let her team die. She scored three goals in the quarter to keep Michigan within striking distance.

Bennett added an insurance goal two minutes into the fourth, and it turned out the Crimson would need it. The Wolverines staged a furious rally, striking four times in the quarter, and Karjala's fifth goal of the game whittled the lead to 9-8 with under a minute to play. But Harvard found one more defensive stand in its season and stopped the rally in the final seconds.