If you're looking for a definition of "routine," you would do well to watch tapes of the Harvard water polo team's 21-9 thrashing of MIT last night at Alumni Pool.

This was a classic rout.

From the game's early moments, it was apparent that it was not a question of who would win but rather how much the 16th-ranked Crimson would win by. Sophomore Todd Forman led the well-balanced attack with four goals, while four of his teammates turned in hat tricks.

With a crucial tournament coming up this weekend in Providence, R.I., the Crimson knew it would be difficult to get motivated for the Engineers. Yet Harvard maintained its focus and played what may turn out to be a perfect tune-up for tourney matches against highly-ranked squads like Stanford and Arkansas.

"It was a good game for us," senior Captain Andy Freed said. "It's the first time we haven't played down to their level."

Last year, the Crimson struggled to defeat a clearly overmatched Engineer squad. This time, Harvard established its superiority early in the game, jumping out to a 6-1 first-quarter lead. Harvard's smart passing, strong defense and overall execution left the Techsters tired and frustrated. By halftime the advantage had expanded to 12-3.

Flat-Webbed

With the outcome already decided, the Crimson came out a little flat in the third quarter. The nine-goal cushion allowed Harvard to play a few reserves while experimenting with its defense and man-up situations. MIT fans finally got something to cheer about, as the Engineers cut the deficit to 14-8 heading into the final period.

"We didn't have the same intensity in the third quarter," Freed said. "I think we started to get our heads into Arkansas."

It didn't take the Crimson long to get back to business. Harvard's swimmers played a strong fourth quarter to erase any doubt that the Engineers belonged in the same pool with them.

"We showed some character coming on like that in the fourth," Freed said. "It's a good sign for this weekend."

And this weekend is big.

Harvard's opponents include Eastern-rival Brown as well as tenth-ranked Arkansas and top-ranked Stanford.

A victory against the Cardinal seems unlikely, but the big game will be against Arkansas. Beating the Razorbacks would be a huge boost to the Crimson's hopes of qualifying for the NCAA's this November. And beating the Razorbacks is a very real possibility.

"If we avoid mistakes we'll have a good chance," Fried said. "We just need to put it all together this weekend."

Who knows? If the Crimson sticks to its new routine, even the Cardinal is fair game.