Men's water polo to play at home for the first time this season. (Gil Talbot)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 16 Harvard men's water polo team is set for the first home stand of 2014, taking on four CWPA Northern Division opponents at Blodgett Pool this weekend. The Crimson will take on St. Francis at 1 p.m. and Iona at 7 p.m. Saturday Sept. 27. On Sunday Sept. 28, Harvard will face off against Fordham at 10 a.m. and Brown at 5:30 p.m.
About Harvard
The Crimson has started the season 5-2 with an early-season signature victory over then-No. 14 Navy, its first since 2001. In the first two weeks of the season Harvard has had five players recognized by the CWPA, including junior Ben Zepfel being named CWPA Northern Division Player of the Week.
Harvard has played all seven of its matches this season on the road, finally making its home debut this weekend. The Crimson has been very successful at home including a 7-1 record in 2013.
The Crimson is currently riding a two–match win streak after defeating Navy and Connecticut College two weeks ago at the Bruno Fall Classic. That momentum and a week's rest bodes well for the Crimson as CWPA Northern play heats up.
About St. Francis
The Terriers have opened the season 2-6 with victories over Santa Clara and Connecticut College. St. Francis are led on offense by Ilija Djuretic and Liam Veazey, who have scored 14 and 10 goals respectively, making them Harvard's defensive priorities.
On defense the Terriers have allowed 93 goals in their first eight matches. Harvard's top-goal scorers Joey Colton and Ben Zepfel will look to continue their early-season success against the struggling St. Francis defense.
St. Francis leads the all-time series, 28-8, winning the previous meeting, 12-4, in November of 2013.
About Iona
Iona is 1-4 to open the 2014 season, defeating Connecticut College in their last match. The Gale offense has scored at least 11 goals in the every match this season.
Crimson goalie Colin Woolway has been strong to start the season, holding opponents to single-digit goals on three occasions, including only 9 let in against Navy in an upset victory. He will need to be sharp against the potent Iona offense.
Harvard holds an impressive 29-19 lead in the all-time series against the Gales. The two teams split last season's meetings with the Crimson winning the most recent match up 18-15.
About Fordham
The Rams are off to a fast start posting a 7-3 record after three weeks of play. Fordham had its four-match win streak snapped this past weekend in a loss to No. 16 Brown.
The Rams are led by senior goalie Noah LeBeau. LeBeau has been named the CWPA Northern Defensive Player of the Week the first two weeks of the season for his work between for Fordham. The Crimson offense will need to be on point to continue its strong start to the season, against Lebeau.
Harvard currently leads Fordham 28-14 in the all-time series match up. The Crimson is on a three-match win streak over the Rams, winning by a combined score of 42-9.
About No. 14 Brown
Brown is 9-3 to start 2014 and currently hold a five-match win streak. The Bears have defeated all three of the Crimson's upcoming opponents during the win streak, taking out Iona 16-11, Fordham, 12-6, and St. Francis 10-6.
The Bears have been led by their offense, scoring at least 10 goals in all seven of their victories and failing to reach that mark in their three losses. In the pool junior Will Klein has been front and center for the Bears, earning CWPA Northern Player of the Week Honors for his 11 goals at the Princeton Invitational.
In the all-time series Brown is ahead 83-22. The Bears are on a two-match win streak, winning two of three meetings against Harvard in 2013.
Ivy League Digital Network
After an incredibly successful inaugural year that saw over 1,000 events streamed live, The Ivy League Digital Network has returned for 2014-15, providing fans with unprecedented coverage of the Ivy League.
All six men's water polo home matches will be streamed on the Ivy League Digital Network this season for Crimson fans.
Multiple subscription options are available to fans including school-specific and league-wide passes. To learn more about the Ivy League Digital Network or to sign-up today,
click here.
