Men's Water Polo Wins One of Five in Opening Weekend

The Crimson (1-4, 0-0 Ivy) rounded out the weekend splitting its matches on Sunday in its games against Washington & Jefferson and No. 9 UC Irvine. Harvard won its first game of the season against W&J, 17-10, but then fell to the UC Irvine Anteaters to finish out the weekend with a 1-4 record.

“We’re incorporating a lot of young freshman talent,” sophomore Chris Miao said. “So this weekend was all about building our team and building our chemistry. I know we made good strides this weekend, but it was just one step, and you have to keep climbing the stairs.”

UC IRVINE 18, HARVARD 9

In its final game of the weekend, Harvard lost to the Anteaters to finish 1-4 at the Bruno Fall Classic. The Crimson fell behind 4-0 in the first quarter and trailed for the rest of the competition.

Robbie Fluegge led the Crimson offense with three goals, while sophomore Noah Harrison and classmate Blake Lee contributed two apiece. Harrison also had four assists and two steals. Jimmy Woolway anchored the defense with seven saves in goal.

UCI was the third top-ten ranked team that Harvard faced in its matches over the weekend.

“The whole point of having us play five games in two days was so we could build chemistry, get that conditioning in, and for us to really get to know each other before we go and play these tournaments,” freshman Dan Stevens said. “That’s why we play teams like UC Irvine; so that we can understand our limits, how we can push ourselves.”

HARVARD 17, WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 10

Harvard netted four goals in the first quarter against the Washington & Jefferson Presidents and kept the lead going for the entire game.

Six different Crimson players contributed to the goal total, with Harrison leading the pack with four.

“Noah really contributed both days,” Stevens said. “He had some mental slips, but he really came back. He’s been working his tail off, even before preseason, and you can tell that he works really hard every day.”

Freshman Viktor Wrobel and junior Max Murphy both contributed three goals apiece, and Lee led the team with four assists.

Harvard led 9-3 at halftime and scored five more goals to hold a commanding 14-5 lead going into the final quarter. The Crimson were outscored 5-3 in fourth frame but held on for its first win.

No. 16 BROWN 9, HARVARD 8

In the nightcap Saturday, Brown staged a come-from-behind victory, denying the Crimson a shot at their first victory of the season with a fourth period comeback. Harvard was in control for much of the contest, and entered the fourth holding a 6-3 lead. After the Crimson extended the lead to 7-4, the Bears began their rally. Sophomore Matty Gallas notched the tying goal for Brown, and freshman Warren Smith scored the eventual game-winner. Senior goalie Walker Shockley, who had 11 saves, kept Harvard’s offense at bay, and the Bears’ 12 steals helped him do so.

No. 3 STANFORD 17, HARVARD 5

Earlier, the Crimson took on the Cardinal, which finished the 2012 season ranked fourth nationally. Harvard trailed just 6-3 at halftime, but Stanford then posted seven goals in the third, and added four more in the fourth for the win. The Crimson had just two scores in the second half. Senior Jimmy Field was in goal for Harvard and had 11 saves, and Lee assisted on each of the Crimson’s five goals.

No. 10 ST. FRANCIS 10, HARVARD 7

In Harvard’s season-opening match, it took on the Terriers, which finished third at last year’s NCAA Championships. St. Francis’ freshmen were too much for the Crimson, as Ilija Djuretic posted two scores to go with seven steals while his classmate Lazar Komadinic tallied four goals. Still, the match remained tight, as Harvard trailed 4-3 at the half and 5-4 heading into the fourth period. The Crimson tied the score at seven, but the Terriers pulled away down the stretch. St. Francis held Harvard scoreless during the final two minutes of the game. Harrison had four goals for the Crimson, and Woolway had 11 saves.

—Staff writer Alex L. Saich can be reached at asaich@gmail.com

—Staff writer Justin C. Wong can be reached at justincwong94@gmail.com.