Crimson Flies to Victory in Ivy Tourney

Harvard men's water polo, taking aim at the upcoming Eastern championships, reigned indomitable this weekend, trampling Princeton and Brown's B squad at the Ivy Championship Tournament in Blodgett Pool.

Brown's B team, back for blood after being toppled by the Crimson two weeks ago, played hard in the face of Harvard's relentless attack and tough defense. "They gave us a good run for the money," Tri-Captain Jon Sandler said, "But we shut them down."

At the half, Harvard held a meager 3-2 lead.

Rookie Coach Chris Hafferty's words at halftime proved inspiring. Just 24 seconds after the whistle began the third quarter, Sandler fired in a tally with authority. A minute later he repeated that performance.

"After that it was never in doubt," Sandler said. The game's momentum stayed with Harvard until the final buzzer, Crimson on top, 7-5.

In the Princeton game, Harvard dominated throughout. Though senior Rod Phares started in goal, an eye injury prompted his departure in the first quarter. Sophomore Don Benson, coming off a nagging soldier injury, rose to the call and stopped four of the nine shots on goal as the Crimson slew the Tigers, 14-7.

Offensively, Rob Strauss, Fred Scherrer, and Sandler shared the glory as the weekend's high scorers. Each member of the terrible trio scored three goals against Princeton and two against Brown.

Keeping Harvard undefeated at home, other members of the squad turned in outstanding performances as well.

Freshman John Griffin had a marvelous tournament defensively. Refusing to leave the limelight, sophomore Ben Elizondo put on yet another stunning show. Sparkling as well, freshman Bill Wolff scored an impressive breakaway goal against the Tigers.

The team's overall record now stands at 15-5.

Next weekend the aquamen travel to Providence for the New England League Championships--where the seeding for the following weekend's Easterns will be finalized.