The Harvard men's water polo team, much like a can't-miss prospect, has shown a lot of potential this year.

But at this past weekend's Eastern League tournament at Annapolis, Md., the Crimson harnessed some of that potential--and took a big step towards an Eastern Tournament bid.

The Crimson finished sixth in the tournament at the Navel Academy, winning one game and losing two very tight matches to Top 20 teams.

Harvard's first game was against Ivy arch-nemesis Brown. Last year, the Bruins beat the aquamen twice. But Harvard held tight from the opening whistle, and Brown had but a one-goal lead, 3-2, at the half.

Play was just as even in the second half, and the Crimson got as close as 5-4 late in the fourth period. But as Harvard let a last-minute man-up situation slip away, it let the game slip away as well, as the men from Providence won, 6-4--the closest game between the two squads since the inception of water polo as a varsity sport at Harvard.

"We played as hard as we could play," said senior Tri-Captain Bill Wolff. "They know we can beat them and we know we can beat them."

In its second match, Harvard knocked off Richmond--the squad's first win in three years over the Spiders. The Crimson only scored three goals in the first three periods against Richmond, then allowed the Spiders to tie the game. But in the fourth, Harvard's scoring dam broke, as the Crimson poured in three goals to win, 6-4.

"We played down at their level. We got angry that they caught up," said senior Peter Kaiser. "[Then] we played awesome."

Harvard's third game was against Bucknell, which had beaten the Crimson, 13-4, a year ago.

The aquamen carried over their momentum from the Richmond game, as they zoomed out to a 5-2 lead by halftime. But Bucknell monopolized the scoring in the next period-and-a-half, scoring six straight goals to forge an 8-5 lead.

Out of the Grove

"That hurt," Kaiser said. "When we really had to turn it on in the third period, they slapped on a pressing defense, and that messed us up. By the time we got it back we weren't in the groove."

It was Harvard's time to play catch-up, and the aquamen used goals by Nick Branca and Wolff to get within one with a minute left to play.

But the shot clock was mysteriously turned off in the final minute, and in the confusion the Bison scored with 10 seconds left to seal a 9-7 win.

"We were there," said Wolff of the weekend's action. "It's hard to know whether to be excited or disappointed."

THE NOTEBOOK: Brown pulled off an upset by beating Navy in double overtime to win the first-place game...Harvard plays in the first round of the Beanpot water polo tournament tonight at Blodgett against Boston College.