Men’s Water Polo Regally Ready to Take on Queens

Pictured: Senior goalkeeper Nikhil Balaraman and the Crimson visit Queens Saturday afternoon.
Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot.

The Harvard men’s water polo team will face the Knights of Queens (N.Y.) in a conference match-up on the road. The Crimson comes in sitting atop the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Northern Division standings after defeating MIT Sept. 16 at home. The match against the Knights is schedule to begin at 5:00 p.m.

About Harvard:
The Crimson enters the contest with a 3-8 overall record and 1-0 against opponents in the Northern Division. Junior co-captain Bret Voith leads the team with 14 goals while senior co-captain Egen Atkinson and junior Alex Thompson are close behind with 13 tallies each. Harvard has notched victories over George Washington, MIT and Connecticut College. The Crimson has bowed to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Redlands, Princeton once and Fordham twice.

About Queens:
Queens carries a 2-7 overall record and a 0-1 CWPA record into the match. The Knights have beaten Penn State-Behrend twice this season. Recently, Queens fell to Iona by a one-goal deficit, 14-13. They have also dropped close games to George Washington, Gannon and to Mercyhurst in overtime.

Last Time Out:
Harvard placed ninth at the ECAC Championships last weekend in Princeton, N.J. The Crimson suffered a pair of defeats to George Washington and Fordham 12-5 and 8-4, respectively, before posting a commanding win over Connecticut College, 15-5. Sophomore Kevin DiSilvestro paced the squad with five goals in three games while senior co-captain Egen Atkinson, sophomore Luka Babic and junior Alex Thompson chipped in with three goals apiece. Senior Dan Furman, junior co-captain Bret Voith, sophomore Mike Katzer and freshman Max Eliot all added a pair of goals during the championships. Sophomore Alexandre Popp started two games in goal making 19 saves while senior Nikhil Balaraman started the other game blocking seven shots.

Pacific Specifics:
Harvard travels out west to Claremont, Calif. to take part in the Claremont Convergence Oct. 2-3. The two-day long round robin attracts upwards of 18 teams. The Crimson will take on Chapman and Pomona-Pitzer on Oct. 2. Air Force and Cal Baptist will be Harvard’s opponents on Oct. 3.