Men's Water Polo Hosts MIT in Home Opener Wednesday Evening

Photo of Alex Thompson courtesy DSPics.com.

The Matchup:
Harvard hosts MIT in the Crimson’s home opener at Blodgett Pool after playing the first seven games of the season on the road. The Crimson stands at 1-6 overall, while the Engineers are 1-7. Wednesday evening’s game will also mark the CWPA opener for both squads.

Rookie Sensation:
Freshman Max Eliot garnered CWPA Northern Division Rookie of the Week honors after scoring four goals last weekend at the Princeton Invitational, including one in Harvard’s 12-7 victory over George Washington. Eliot also added two goals against Fordham and had a marker against No. 16 Santa Clara.

About Harvard:
After starting 0-3 at the MIT Invitational, the Crimson earned its first victory of the season a week later at the Princeton Invitational as the team topped George Washington by a 12-7 margin. Mike Katzer led the Crimson scoring with four goals against the Colonials, while Alex Thompson and Jeff Lee each tallied two markers. In net, Alexandre Popp made eight saves to earn the victory. Wednesday’s game against MIT is the first of six regular season home games for Harvard, which will also host the Northern Division Championships Nov. 7-8.

About MIT:
The Engineers picked up its first win at the Princeton Invitational, as MIT downed George Washington, 10-7, Sunday, snapping a seven-game losing streak to start the season. The team dropped games to No. 16 Santa Clara, Bucknell and Johns Hopkins earlier at the Princeton Invitational. At the upcoming ECAC Championships, MIT will serve as the No. 6 seed and will face third-seeded Brown in the first round of the tournament.

Rankings:
Harvard is currently 10th in the CWPA poll, while MIT appears eighth in the ranking.

Up Next:
The Crimson returns to Princeton, N.J., for the second consecutive weekend as the team will compete at the ECAC Championships. Harvard, the No. 9 seed will meet eighth-seeded George Washington Friday evening in a rematch of last week’s game, a 12-7 win for the Crimson at the Princeton Invitational.