Win Against MIT Qualifies Crimson for Eastern Tourney

With the season on the line, Harvard’s men’s water polo secured a spot in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championships with an 11-10 overtime victory against host MIT (10-15, 4-4 CWPA) in the opening round of this weekend’s CWPA Northern Division Championships.

The Crimson (9-18, 6-9) finished the weekend in fourth place, after losing to Brown (16-9), 18-9, Saturday evening and falling to Iona (14-13), 13-11, in the third-place game on Sunday.

“We’re really excited that we made Easterns,” Harvard coach Ted Minnis said. “It would have been really bad if we had to host Easterns and watch other people play.”

In their last chance to qualify for the Eastern Championships, the seniors on the team reached a milestone for their class, as they battled all weekend to earn Harvard’s first berth in this tournament since 2007.

“There were some real gutsy performances by the seniors,” senior attacker Michael Katzer said. “A ton of credit to everyone who hit the water and everyone on the team.”

IONA 13, HARVARD 11

Already qualified for Easterns, the Crimson looked to end the weekend on a strong note, but eventually gave up a fourth-quarter lead to lose a tight match to the Gaels from New Rochelle, N.Y.

“We lost a tough one this morning to Iona,” Minnis said. “We had a lead going in to the fourth quarter, [and we] probably should have closed that out. They outplayed us and outhustled us in the fourth quarter, so that’s tough.”

Despite the loss, the close finish demonstrates Harvard’s improvement over the season, considering Iona beat the Crimson by a nine-goal margin in September.

With the Gaels qualifying for the Eastern Tournament as well, Harvard may have the chance to redeem itself in a potential rematch two weeks from now at Blodget Pool.

BROWN 18, HARVARD 9

Against No. 17 Brown, Harvard showed resilience throughout the game, keeping it close until fatigue set in for the Crimson in the fourth quarter, allowing the Bears to take control and advance to the finals.

The Crimson kept this one within reach for most of the game, trailing 6-4 after one quarter and 11-7 at the half. The third quarter was a defensive battle, with only one goal scored by the Brown offense.

But in the fourth quarter, the Bears tallied six goals against a worn-out Harvard squad, sending the Crimson to the third-place game against Iona.

“We played Brown the toughest we played all year, so I was real happy with the way we played,” Minnis said. “They’re a real good team, so [it was good] for us to be in the game in the third quarter. We just kind of ran out of gas. They kind of took over and dominated in the fourth.”

Brown junior Svetosar Stefeanovic was a key player for the Bears, with five goals, four steals, and five ejections drawn.

For Harvard, Katzer and freshman utility Max Murphy continued their strong play, both netting two goals apiece. Senior Evan Zepfel also contributed two goals.

In net, senior goalie Alex Popp held his own, stopping 13 shots from Brown in the losing effort, while also providing some offensive spark with two assists.

HARVARD 11, MIT 10 (OT)

Coming into this weekend, the Crimson’s focus was on the opening game against the Engineers, as a win would guarantee a spot in the Eastern tournament.

“While the regular season was important, we kind of looked at it as a way to gear us up for the big game, which was this past Saturday’s game against MIT,” Katzer said.

The team came out ready to go, having developed an extensive game plan throughout the week before. Harvard ensured it knew what its opponent would give them, both offensively and defensively.

“We wanted to make sure we did a good job against their weak side drop, offensively,” Minnis said. “Defensively, we wanted to make sure we had pressure on them at all times. It made it difficult for them to move and get comfortable in their ball-side drive offense.”

It was a tightly contested match throughout regular play, with no team pulling ahead by more than one goal at any time.

Popp had a huge game in net, contributing 13 saves and stopping two five-meter penalty shots.

“Alex has had a phenomenal year, and he maybe played his game of the year against MIT,” Katzer said. “The fact that he stopped those two point-blank really motivated the team.”

In overtime, co-captain Luka Babic netted a goal, his second of the game, and Katzer scored twice, completing the hat trick to send the Crimson into the semifinals. But overall, it was a team effort.

“I just wasn’t willing to let this game get away from us,” Katzer said. “I had a couple goals, but goals only happen if the five players in the pool are doing their job and making good passes.”

Two freshmen added to the winning effort as well. Attacker Evan Ramsey had two goals and four steals, and Murphy had two goals and two steals.

With two more weeks of water polo remaining, Harvard will look to build off this weekend in preparation for the final tournament of the season.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some big crowds and people out there to support our seniors and the rest of the team,” Minnis said. “It’ll be a lot of fun.”