Water Polo Notches Pair of Wins in California

It was a weekend of ups and downs for Harvard men’s water polo, which split its four games on Friday and Saturday at the Claremont Convergence Tournament in Claremont, Calif. and then lost, 15-6, at No. 5 UC Santa Barbara’s pool in a regular, non-conference game on Sunday.

The weekend marks the first time since 2004 that the Crimson (6-12, 0-2 CWPA North) has won more than one game on its annual trip to California.

UC SANTA BARBARA 15, HARVARD 6

Following the conclusion of the Claremont Convergence Tournament, the Crimson continued its streak of games in California against UCSB (9-4). The Gauchos came out strong and fast, jumping to a 6-0 lead and scoring on all four of their six-on-five opportunities in the first period.

UCSB continued with two more unanswered goals in the second period, until Harvard juniors Evan Zepfel and Kevin DiSilvestro each scored a goal within the final three minutes of the half.

The Gauchos outscored the Crimson, 7-4, over the rest of the game, resulting in Harvard’s nine-goal deficit. Despite the loss, Harvard coach Ted Minnis appreciated the opportunity to contend with a skilled team like UCSB.

“We learned a lot of lessons this weekend, especially playing one of the top teams in the nation,” Minnis said.

“[The Gauchos] anticipate very well, they counterattack very well, and they have good body positions and always try to finish the play,” senior Alex Thompson added. “Those were things we were able to observe, and now we can improve on ourselves.”

CLAREMONT-M-S 13, HARVARD 6

The Crimson fell 13-6 to the tournament’s host, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (8-7), earlier in the weekend.

Both Minnis and his team acknowledge the third period as the point that cost them the game. Harvard was outscored 5-1 in the period and was unable to recover, despite two goals each from junior Mike Katzer and freshman Neal O’Hara.

HARVARD 21, CALTECH 2

The Crimson was clearly ready for a victory Saturday morning, as shown by its performance against Caltech (0-11), in which Harvard routed the Beavers, 21-2, and set a season high for goals scored in a single game.

Caltech has had a rough start to the 2010 season, giving up more than 20 goals on at least six occasions. But the game was an opportunity for the Crimson’s younger athletes to take the spotlight for a game. Sophomore Antone Martinho led the team with five goals, while Katzer logged another four.

“During [the] Caltech [game], we were able to give playing time to a lot of guys who practice really hard and don’t really get as much playing time,” said Thompson, who led Harvard with five assists. “We were really happy to cheer for them from the bench, just like they cheer for us from the bench. It was really fun to see.”

POMONA-PITZER 10, HARVARD 9

Despite the Crimson’s early momentum in the tournament, the team fell 10-9 to No. 18 Pomona-Pitzer College (8-8) late Friday night.

According to Minnis, the loss was disappointing, but Harvard’s performance against the Sagehens was, in his opinion, the best of the weekend.

“We played four solid quarters against a ranked team, and we showed ourselves that we can play with those teams,” Minnis said.

Friday’s loss to Pomona-Pitzer was the fourth consecutive match in the series dating back to 2005 to go in favor of the Sagehens and be decided by three goals or less.

HARVARD 12, OCCIDENTAL 8

The Crimson kick-started its run through California with a 12-8 win over Occidental College (2-12) on Friday. Harvard was led by a strong performance from junior co-captain Luka Babic and senior Jeff Lee, who had a combined total of seven goals and five assists.

The Crimson commanded the first period, 5-3, and doubled its lead to 8-4 by halftime. The matchup against Occidental may have been a strong offensive effort from Harvard, which maintained the lead throughout the game, but the men attributed credit to the defense and junior goalie Alexandre Popp, who had eight saves and an assist.

“Our defense was definitely the key,” Thompson said. “[The team] really came together as a group in a lot of ways this weekend. It’s a lot about working as a unit and communicating with each other. It was a lot more cohesive.”