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M. Water Polo Splits in California

By putting away their shots and playing strong team defense, Harvard immediately opened with a large 7-1 lead and never looked back.

Saturday afternoon, however, would not be as kind to the Crimson. It suffered a disappointing 9-5 loss at the hands of Pomona.

After building a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, Harvard's offense stalled. Pomona came back with a two-pointer and a penalty shot to tie the match at 3-3, and the match would remain tied at half time.

In the second half, it was off to the races, and Harvard was left behind.

"We just didn't play well," Tilghman said. "We just gummed up on offense."

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On Sunday morning, the offensive woes continued for Harvard, as it fell to George Washington 13-5.

In addition to a stalled offense, Harvard got burned badly on George Washington's counter-attacks.

George Washington scored four goals within a few minutes of each other on fast break opportunities.

"That was the nail in the coffin," Tilghman said.

Ending the weekend with two ugly losses and a red-eye flight back to Cambridge, the team needs some time to recuperate.

Fortunately, it has just that.

Harvard's next match, the last one of the season, is this Friday night against Boston College. Then it is on to the Northern Division Playoffs, also hosted by Harvard.

In recent weeks, the Crimson has been rejuvenated. After losing to Iona on October 10, the team feared that its season would be cut short by not qualifying for postseason play.

However, as a result of other teams' losses and a dynamic 10-7 victory at MIT last Wednesday, Harvard reestablished itself and earned a spot in the playoffs.

"I feel reborn," Bliesath said. "We have a chance to take our season to the next level."

Once the playoffs start, all records from the season are meaningless. It is single-elimination format, and Harvard hopes to capitalize on this system.

Harvard's first match of the postseason will be against Queens at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Having lost a close 9-7 battle to Queens earlier this year, Harvard looks to avenge that loss, hopefully with the help of enthusiastic fans.

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