Harvard Faces Do-or-Die Matches

After a heartbreaking loss last week to No.19 Brown, the Harvard men’s water polo team (11-13) looks to rebound Saturday against the Fordham Rams (10-13) in the first round of the Northern Championships.

“This next game we play is the single most important game we play all year,” coach Erik Farrar said.

The tournament, which will be held at the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center at MIT, will have an aura of familiarity; Harvard has played all seven teams in the tournament.

“There aren’t too many secrets at this time of the year,” Farrar said. “Everybody’s played everybody.”

Harvard has done well against the teams featured in the upcoming Northern championships, having posted a 5-2 record.

One of these five wins came against Fordham. Senior co-captain Chris Ludwick led the way with four goals, and sophomore Spencer Livingston contributed three of his own in the 10-5 Crimson win. After being tied 3-3 at half, Harvard’s offense awoke in the second half, ending the game with four unanswered goals.

Although the Crimson has shown the ability to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the pool, its glaring weakness has been slow first-half starts.

To prevent this from happening in the postseason, Harvard has adjusted its pre-game preparations.

“We spent a whole practice working on our warm-up so we would all be ready to go as soon as the game started,” junior David Tune said.

Because a victory on Saturday will clinch a spot in the Eastern Championships, the Crimson is primarily focusing its efforts on the Rams.

“They’re a solid team, but I think we are the better team,” Ludwick said. “We need to bring focus and take care of business.”

To do that, Harvard will hope to rely on its impressive depth to carry the squad through the tournament.

The team is driven by co-captains Ludwick and senior Michael Byrd. Goal-scoring threats Livingston, sophomore Egen Atkinson and freshman Bret Voith add to the offensive firepower.

Junior netminder Jay Connolly, who recorded 15 saves against Brown—a potential second round opponent in the Northern Championships—has been the anchor for the defense all year. The roster, solid from top to bottom, has augmented the team’s confidence.

Confidence will be in high demand if the Crimson looks to advance past the semifinals.

Last year, Harvard lost to 9-4 to Brown in the semifinals of the Northern Championships. The team has a chance to redeem itself this weekend, as both teams may potentially face-off if each team wins their first-round matches. The rivalry between the two teams has been intense over the past few years, as three of their last four games have been decided by one goal—including last week’s heartbreaking, triple overtime loss.

“It’s a great rivalry,” Tune said “You want to beat them because you respect them not because you don’t like them.”

With Brown once again standing in the way of postseason glory, the Crimson will have to play at its best to improve on last year’s third place finish at the Northern Championships and seventh place finish at the Eastern Championships.

These two tournaments, particularly the Eastern Championships, are the most important events of the year. Last making a title game appearance in the 2004 Northern Championships, Harvard will look to win its first title under Farrar.

“Harvard’s my team,” Farrar said. “I want them to go and knock teams around and win games.