Befitting a season opener, the Harvard men’s water polo team began the 2008 campaign with strong play accompanied by clear areas for improvement. Looking to build on a very successful 2007, the Crimson (1-1) kicked off the year close to home, competing at the Cambridge Invitational at MIT. Harvard battled two non-conference foes in the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center over the weekend, steamrolling Washington & Jefferson 18-7 on Saturday night before falling to No. 20 California Baptist 17-10 yesterday morning. Despite the offensive onslaught that brought 28 goals in two games, co-captain Jay Connolly sees potential to step up even more.

“As you can see from the scores, our offense is producing pretty well,” Connolly said. “We’re getting a lot of looks, but not necessarily finishing.”

With the offense demonstrating so much potential, both captains also stressed the importance of shoring up the defense in preparation for a season of tough opponents.

“We showed glimpses of good front court defense,” co-captain David Tune said. “But, we need to improve on drive defense and eliminate scoring opportunities.”

Perhaps more significant than flashes of stellar offense or imposing defense are the indications that this Crimson squad has begun to gel after back-to-back years of solid recruiting.

“We’re really getting used to playing together,” Connolly said. “We’re comfortable with the rotations coach Farrar is using, which is really encouraging heading into MIT this Thursday.”

With concrete objectives and three months to grow together, this constantly improving Harvard squad will look to continue making strides in the pool. Harvard faces a tough MIT team on Thursday before hosting the ECAC championships. If the squad hopes to continue its success, the Crimson will have to make critical defensive adjustments in the week ahead.

CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 16, HARVARD 10

The Crimson stumbled in its second contest, failing to recapture the intensity that led to a thrilling 14-13 overtime victory over the Lancers last year. Yesterday Harvard enjoyed solid play from junior Egan Atkinson, who recorded four goals to lead all Crimson scorers, along with Connolly, who began his senior season with seven strong saves in net. Juniors Dan Furman and Thomas Bailey, as well as sophomores Alex Thompson, Jeff Lee, and Juan Camero all contributed to Harvard’s tally, but none could help the Crimson recover after spotting CBU a 5-0 advantage in the first quarter. Even though Harvard pulled to within a goal at numerous points during the game, untimely turnovers and a 12-5 ejection margin against the Crimson doomed the squad to its first loss.

“We need to tighten up, particularly on counter-attack defense,” Connolly said in reference to the team’s sloppy play.

HARVARD 18, WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 7

The Crimson looked at home in the pool in its opening game, dispatching the Presidents with a flurry of offense. Tune netted seven goals to lead all scorers, but Harvard drew on numerous swimmers for an offensive spark. Lee tallied a hat trick as one of eight different players to score for the Crimson. Lee deflected any personal accolades choosing instead to highlight the group effort.

“The hat trick was nice, but the team as a whole really played well,” he said. “It was big to get that opening win, and the freshmen really got into the action.”

Indeed, reminiscent of the stellar crop of newcomers in 2007, rookies Mike Katzer and Luka Babic made a strong showing for this year’s recruiting class, netting one and two goals, respectively. Junior goalie Nikhil Balaraman also shared the burden in goal, getting the start but yielding in the fourth quarter to freshman Alexandre Popp after making six saves. The rookie held W&J to four goals in the final frame, after the game was well in hand.

—Staff writer Max Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.