The Harvard men's water polo team will compete in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championships at Brown University this weekend, hoping both to make and repeat history.

The No. 20 Crimson (22-9, 7-3 CWPA) will try to cap its most successful season in years by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The National Championship will be held at Pepperdine University early in December.

Standing in the way of a trip to California is No. 13 Navy (21-10, 7-1), whom the Crimson will battle in a do-or-die opening game. The Midshipmen are the champions of the Southern Division, while Harvard is the lowest-seeded Northern Division entry in the tournament.

From the Crimson's standpoint, however, the first-round draw is more of a blessing than a curse. They face a Navy team they have already beaten this year.

Six weeks ago, Harvard shocked the perennial Eastern power with a dramatic 6-5 victory at the Princeton Invitational. Junior 2-meter Sean Cheng had three goals in that game, including the game-winner with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter.

Navy narrowly squeaked by No. 16 Princeton to win the Southern Division and a date with Harvard.

The Crimson had struggled against the Tigers this year, so the Navy matchup seems more favorable to the Crimson cause.

"They have a long history," Harvard Coach Jim Floerchinger said of the Midshipmen. "They've been around for a while, and will try to prove that our win was an aberration. We'll try to show that it wasn't."