Last weekend, the Harvard men's water polo team opened the season with its first win over Brown in eight years, proving that it is finally on an even keel with its Ivy rival.
This weekend was a sobering reminder that the term "even keel" also suggests the possibility of the occasional defeat.
No. 14 Harvard lost to Brown, 5-3, to begin an 0-2 weekend at the Brown Invitational. The Crimson (3-3, 0-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association) concluded the trip with a 12-7 loss to No. 13 UMass.
"We really didn't play well," Harvard Coach Jim Floerchinger. "There were some good aspects to what we did this weekend, but we were pretty flat for the most part."
Harvard showed signs of fatigue early in the second game. The Crimson was shut out in the opening quarter by the Minutemen, 4-0.
Harvard actually fired more shots on goal than UMass (7-2) during that stretch, but failed to convert the opportunities it had.
"Part of it was that we were coming off the Brown loss," captain Tom Elke said. "The first quarter wasn't up to the level we had played in the preseason at all."
Harvard showed some resilience in the second quarter, matching UMass' two goals to stay within striking distance.
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