Men’s Water Polo Dominates Air Force Invitational

The No. 14 Harvard men’s water polo team bounced back this weekend with a trio of victories at the Air Force Invitational, beating host Air Force, No. 17 Navy, and Concordia University Irvine.

The Crimson (7-2, 0-0 NWPC) beat the Falcons (8-6, 0-0 WCC) in a 13-12 nail-biter, bested the Midshipmen (10-3, 1-0 NAWPC) 19-14, and dismantled the Eagles (3-10, 0-0 WWPA) with a dominant 20-6 finish. Harvard relied heavily on the power play in its first two contests with 14 of its 32 goals coming off the power play or penalties.

“A big focus for us this year so far has been controlling the tempo of our offensive possessions, specifically on the power play,” junior attacker Mason Hunt said. “We have so many threats across the pool. For us, it's about stretching the defense, slowing down offensively and finding the highest quality, highest percentage looks.”

Harvard 13, Air Force 12

The weekend kicked off with a close battle against the tournament host, Air Force. In a tense back-and-forth affair, Harvard’s defense held strong in the final minutes, fending off a late Falcon surge to secure the narrow victory.

Air Force struggled with discipline in the first period, conceding four exclusions that led to two early penalty shots for Harvard. Senior attacker Owen Hale converted a penalty shot to give the Crimson an early lead. Harvard capitalized on its next two power plays, extending the lead to 3-1. However, the Falcons remained resilient, closing the quarter on a 3-0 run to lead 4-3.

In the second quarter, defense dominated early until junior utility man James Rozolis-Hill broke the scoring drought, powering through the Falcon defense for a goal. Another power play conversion put Harvard back on top, 5-4. The teams exchanged goals and it appeared that a halftime tie was inevitable until a late, powerful backhand by senior center Mot Stothart secured the Crimson a 7-6 lead at the half.

Rozolis-Hill continued Harvard’s power play success, notching the first goal of the second half after two minutes. Air Force displayed its resilience once more, battling back with two goals to even the score at 8-8, setting the stage for an intense final stanza.

Sophomore attacker Jacob Tsotadze struck first, but Air Force quickly replied to keep the game tied. The Crimson then turned to Rozolis-Hill, who delivered two goals in under a minute along with another effective power play execution to secure a 12-9 advantage. Despite a late Air Force surge, Harvard held firm, gutting out a gritty 13-12 victory.

“This weekend for us was building resilience, overcoming adversity,” Hunt said. The junior pointed to the specific challenges of playing in Colorado, known for its grueling air. “On the side of the pool was a saying ‘The Air is Rare.’ For us, one of the biggest challenges was battling [the] altitude. It was definitely tough, that was an added factor. Our goal is to come out strong, play as hard as possible, and the focus is defense all around.”

Harvard 19, Navy 14

Six hours after the nail-biting win over Air Force, the Crimson squared off against its highest ranked opponent of the tournament, the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen. Harvard cruised past the Midshipmen behind five-point performances from standouts Hunt and Rozolis-Hill.

Rozolis-Hill continued his hot streak, netting the first two goals of the contest for the Crimson, though Navy equalized each time. Harvard’s power play continued to shine, with two power play goals and a penalty conversion by Tsotadze, securing a 5-2 lead after the first quarter.

The teams exchanged penalty goals to start the second quarter, maintaining Harvard’s three goal lead. From there, the Crimson took control, outscoring Navy 6-1 the rest of the period, sparked by a rocket shot from Hunt. Harvard’s merciless offensive pressure and suffocating defense overwhelmed Navy, sending the Crimson to halftime with a 12-4 lead.

An early Navy goal to start the third quarter offered a glimmer of hope for a Midshipmen comeback. However, Harvard quickly crushed that hope with a 5-2 run, at one point stretching the lead to ten. The third quarter ended with a Navy goal, but Harvard maintained a comfortable 17-8 advantage. Navy poured on the goals in the fourth, arriving at a respectable 19-14 victory for Harvard.

Harvard 20, Concordia 6

Harvard capped off the weekend in dominant fashion, routing the CUI Golden Eagles 20-6. Joint top scorers Hunt and freshman attacker Dean Strauser (four goals each) led the charge, each contributing to a well-balanced offensive performance.

Strauser’s early strike hinted at a blowout, but the first quarter was tighter than anticipated. The Crimson struggled to finish, converting just one-of-three power plays, but a strong defensive effort kept CUI in check, giving Harvard a 3-1 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Harvard offense flipped a switch in the second period, outscoring the Golden Eagles 7-1. Hunt spearheaded the offensive onslaught, sending the Crimson into halftime sporting a 10-2 lead.

Harvard stayed hot in the third, with Hunt firing off another goal en route to a 7-1 shellacking of the Golden Eagles in the third period. Strauser added two more goals to complete the hat trick, pushing the lead to 17-3 by the end of the quarter. The fourth quarter was merely a formality, as Harvard cruised to a 20-6 victory, sealing an undefeated weekend.

“We’ve identified a couple goals. One being our control on offense. If we play a controlled style of offense, then we’re able to better contain on defense,” Hunt said, on the team’s next steps. “The biggest goal is uniting as a team, falling back on that culture and strong chemistry.”

Hunt parted with a message for Crimson fans. “We’re grateful for our fans. All our fans made it seem like we were at home at Air Force. We’re really lucky.”

Harvard will try to continue its win streak as the team begins conference play on the road against Long Island University (5-6, 0-0 NWPC) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 10:00 AM.

—Staff writer Oscar E. Mercado can be reached at oscar.mercado@thecrimson.com.