M. Water Polo Takes Fourth at ECACs

Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Harvard men’s water polo team posted mixed results as the Crimson placed fourth at the ECAC Championships held at Navy over the weekend.

Harvard managed a victory over Johns Hopkins, but fell to Princeton and Navy in tight matches.

Tournament play began for the No. 15 Crimson (16-6) as it faced the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon. The team felt confident going into the match.

“They’re a scrappy team,” senior Theo Ludwick said. “We knew if we stuck to our game plan, we would easily put them away.”

Harvard held off a third quarter Hopkins rally to clinch a 12-7 victory.

Advancing in the tournament, the Crimson played Princeton in a semifinal game Saturday night. The Tigers had beaten Harvard 8-2 earlier in the season, and the team knew that this would be a highly-contested match.

Princeton began by scoring the first several goals. Harvard responded by revising its game plan, but ultimately fell short of winning the match.

“We assessed what was going on and tried to change our game,” co-captain Mike Masterson said. “However, Princeton capitalized on a few minor lapses.”

The Tigers broke the Crimson’s nine-game winning streak as they won the match 10-8. Harvard settled for the third-place match as Princeton went onto the championship game against Queens.

The Crimson played Navy on Sunday in a close match. Harvard was within one goal most of the game until the Midshipmen scored two late in the contest to pull out a 7-4 victory.

“This game was frustrating,” Ludwick said. “We did play well and showed we could be one of the best on the East coast.”

With a 1-2 record, Harvard placed fourth in the tournament. Queens won the ECAC Championship while Princeton and Navy placed second and third respectively.

The Crimson is likely to face the Tigers and the Midshipmen again at the Northern Championships to be held at Blodgett Pool this weekend. Despite last weekend’s results, the team feels confident it will place well.

“Princeton and Navy are two teams we think we can beat if we play well,” Masterson said. “Things are looking good for the tournament this weekend.”

The Crimson will face Brown at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday in its first match of the championship.

The team needs to place in the top four in order to qualify for the Eastern Championships and keep its NCAA prospects alive.