Men's Water Polo Overwhelmed by California Powers

The Harvard men’s water polo team ventured to California this past weekend for a three-day tournament that included some of the best teams in the nation.

After losses against California, UC Davis, and Air Force, senior co-captain Chris Ludwick and sophomore Spencer Livingston led the Crimson (7-8) to an encouraging 14-13 victory over nationally ranked Cal Baptist.

PACIFIC 18, HARVARD 6

Weary Harvard matched up against host Pacific in its final contest of the weekend, but, paying the toll for four earlier games, was unable to sustain its momentum and was blown out by the Tigers.

“We were fatigued from the game that morning, they got goals ahead of us and we were never really in it,” Ludwick said.

After battling for two days and capturing its first win of the weekend against Cal Baptist on Sunday morning, Harvard ran out of gas in the Sunday nightcap, falling behind early in an eventual 18-6 loss to No. 15 Pacific (11-9).

Before the second quarter, the Tigers had already leapt out to a 7-1 lead, and despite goals from Ludwick, freshman Bret Voith, junior David Tune, and sophomore Thomas Bailey, the Crimson offense struggled to overcome the early deficit.

Junior goalkeeper Jay Connolly kept up his defensive rhythm, registering 15 saves after having 10 saves in the earlier game, but it wasn’t enough to quell Pacific’s offensive firepower.

HARVARD 14, CAL BAPTIST 13

The highlight of the three-day marathon in Stockton, Calif., came when Harvard took on 19th-ranked Cal Baptist.

Ludwick scored the game-winner with 50 seconds remaining in overtime, wrapping up a highly competitive game in which goals were exchanged up until the last minute.

The Crimson began the game strong, running up a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, only to have the Lancers tie the game by halftime. Ludwick and Livingston both recorded hat tricks and goalkeeper Connolly made 10 saves on Cal Baptist.

Livingston, Harvard’s leading goal scorer on the season, stepped up with a clutch goal to tie the game at 11.

“We played strong the entire game and were close the entire game,” Ludwick said. “It was definitely the big positive of the weekend—everyone played with more energy, we were sticking our shots and shooting better.”

AIR FORCE 12, HARVARD 4

On Saturday night in Davis, Calif., Harvard played No. 16 Air Force, and strong performances by Ludwick and Livingston failed to match the mighty Falcons.

Foul trouble, a recent Achilles for the Crimson, once again played a role, as Harvard had seven ejections, giving Air Force easy opportunities for scores.

Despite Livingston’s impressive shooting display and Connolly’s 12 saves (giving him 26 in Saturday’s doubleheader), the Crimson dropped its sixth straight game.

UC DAVIS 10, HARVARD 5

Continuing a string of strong opponents on the weekend, Harvard faced off against No. 9 UC Davis in the early afternoon on Saturday.

A offensive burst by the Aggies brought the score to 5-2 early on, but the Crimson fought back to get within a goal early in the third quarter.

Tune’s ejection in the third quarter gave UC Davis the opening to push three quick goals past Connolly. Connolly had 14 saves in the loss. Livingston led the team on offense with two goals.

CALIFORNIA 16, HARVARD 4

Harvard began its three-day Golden State excursion by matching up with the the No. 2 team in the country, California.

The Crimson started weakly at the Spieker Aquatics Center in Berkeley, Calif., on Friday evening, not scoring until 14 seconds before halftime, when Voith put the team’s first goal in the back of the net.

Harvard had its best quarter in the fourth, albeit against the Bears’ B-team, outscoring Cal, 2-1. Livingston, Ludwick, and sophomore Sean Mitchell joined Voith in the scoring column.

The team views the weekend as a learning experience, having played against some of the best teams in the nation.

“The goal of this weekend was to...get better as a team, and we learned from every game,” Ludwick said.