In its season opener at the MIT Invitational last Saturday, the men's water polo team narrowly edged Claremont-McKenna College, 8-7, to claim its first victory of the season. The Bears then staged an exciting come-from-behind rally against the University of Redlands, sealing its second win at 9-7. Their winning streak came to an end, however, in the final game against the Pacific. The early lead by the Tigers proved too much for the Bears to overcome, as they fell 14-4 in the end.
Several rookies showed promise in the Invitational. Svetozar Stefanovic '13 led the team's offense in the first game with three goals, including the game-winning goal in the third, sudden-death overtime. Two other freshmen, Michael Hartwick '13 and Cyrus Mojdehi '13 also aided the offensive effort by scoring a goal apiece. Mojdehi's goal tied the game at 6-6 before regular time ran out, sending the game into overtime.
The defense proved critical in the Bears' success, especially in the second game against Redlands. After the offense rallied from behind to take the lead at 5-3 at halftime, the defense kept the firing Redlands from coming back. Goalkeeper and team captain Kent Holland '10 picked up 13 saves in this game, adding to the six saves he earned in the first game.
The team could not maintain this winning formula in the last game of the Invitational, however. Pacific took charge of play from the beginning. By halftime, the Tigers had already secured a 8-2 lead. They added onto their goals and eventually handed the Bears their first loss of the season, 14-4.
The men will get back in action this weekend to compete in the Princeton Invitational. They will face Iona College on Friday night, then UCLA and Bucknell on Saturday, and finish the Invitational against host Princeton on Sunday.
