The Harvard women's water polo team played its best polo of the season this weekend when it hosted the Eastern Championships at Blodgett Pool.

But, in the end, the Crimson fell just short of its goal of finishing in the top three and qualifying for Nationals.

A 4-2 loss to Princeton on Sunday morning sealed a fourth-place finish, and, consequently, the end of the season for the Crimson.

But it was not a result of a lack of heart. The team gave more than a 100-percent effort. But it just couldn't get any breaks.

"I am really proud of our team," sophomore Natasha Magnuson said. "We played our best, and that's all you can ask for. But it was definitely disappointing to lose."

The weekend began on Friday night with a 14-3 trouncing of Brown.

The real competition began on Saturday morning when Harvard faced Villanova. After jumping out to an 8-3 lead, Harvard relaxed a little and took out some of its starters. Villanova went on a 4-0 run, and suddenly Harvard found itself in a frightening position--only ahead by one goal with a minute remaining.

Then, junior Leslie Bennett was ejected from the game, so Villanova had a one-man advantage for the rest of the contest.

A Harvard player on the perimeter blocked a pass, and the Crimson kept possession for the remainder of the game. Harvard hung on to preserve the 8-7 victory.