CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Division III No. 8-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) water polo team split a pair of Harvard Invitational matches at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool. In the first game of the day against Biola University, MIT erased a four-goal deficit to pull even before eventually falling 11-10 on a last second goal. In game two, the Engineers used two late goals from Caspar Lightner to claim a 9-7 win versus the University of California-Merced.
In the first game, Lightner and Jake Schweizer sandwiched a Biola goal to give MIT a 2-1 advantage in the early going. The Eagles scored the final two goals of the opening quarter to take a 4-2 lead.
Biola extended its lead to 7-3 by halftime with Nicholas Soule scoring the lone Engineers’ goal in the second quarter.
Lightner opened the third quarter with back-to-back goals to get MIT within a pair. However, Biola scored on the counterattack to head into the final stanza with an 8-5 lead.
The comeback was on for the Engineers as they tied the march. After Andras Beleznay converted a six-on-five goal, Rick Lundh scored the next two to make it an eight-all match with 4:33 left in regulation. Kunal Rajadhyax then buried a go-ahead goal with 3:24 left.
Biola quickly responded with two consecutive goals, but with 21 seconds left, William Ewald tossed in the game-tying goal to raise the potential question of overtime. Needing a score to prevent going to OT with the Engineers, Isaac Demski found the back of the net with three seconds left for the deciding blow.
Lightner notched his eighth hat-trick of the season, while Kieran Kearns led the way with three assists. Schweizer finished with a goal, two assists and a team-high four steals to support a six save and three steal performance by goalkeeper Armaan Gill.
Facing UC-Merced in the day’s get-away game, the Bobcats scored three of the first four goals of the match with Schweizer notching the lone MIT tally. MIT went on a 3-0 run to end the first quarter, getting two goals from Beleznay and another from Lundh with nine seconds left to give to acquire a one-score lead.
After Merced tied the match at four-all, back-to-back goals from Beleznay and Ewald gave the Engineers a 6-4 advantage heading into halftime.
It was a low scoring third quarter with Armeet Gill scoring the lone goal at 6:13 to increase the MIT lead to three at 7-4.
A 3-0 run to open the fourth quarter by the Bobcats tied the match at seven-all with 3:56 on the clock. Lightner connected for the next two goals to secure the win for MIT.
Beleznay got his eighth hat-trick of the season and is now second on the team with 39 goals. Lightner leads the way with 40.
Schweitzer collected four steals to give him a team-leading 30.
Joshua Woren earned the win with 11 saves.
Information courtesy Massachusetts Institute of Technology Athletics Communications
