CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The No. 12-ranked/Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Champion Harvard University men’s water polo team defeated No. 17/Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Champion George Washington University Colonials, 15-13, in overtime at home in Blodgett Pool in the opening round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship Tournament. Harvard advances to play the No. 1 Trojans of the University of Southern California on Thursday, November 30 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern/7:00 p.m. Pacific.
Sophomore Austin Sechrest got the Crimson on the board first, scoring the first goal of the game for Harvard less than 30 seconds into the first quarter. After a goal by George Washington just seconds later to tie the game, freshman Jackson Enright notched a goal to edge the Crimson above the Colonials, 2-1.
George Washington answered with another goal, but freshman Dennis Blyashov fired right back, securing the 3-2 lead for the Crimson. With three seconds left in the first quarter, Sechrest netted a penalty shot to tie the game at five goals apiece.
Harvard senior/captain Harry Tafur scored the opening goal in the second quarter for the Crimson before Blyashov secured his second and third goals of the day. Freshman Bruno Snow netted the difference-maker for the Crimson, securing Harvard’s 9-8 lead with four seconds left in the first half. At the end of the third quarter, both teams remained tied at 11 goals apiece.
In the fourth quarter, Harvard looked to edge the Colonials in the remaining eight minutes. The Colonials struck first, two minutes into the fourth quarter, for the 12-11 lead. Blyashov once again found the back of the net to bring Harvard within one of George Washington’s 13-12 lead. With less than a minute left in regulation, Enright made the steal and brought the ball into the offensive zone and shot the ball to even the score at 13-13, forcing overtime.
Less than 30 seconds into the extra period, Blyashov once again found the back of the net, giving the Crimson a 14-13 edge. Senior captain Colin Chiapello followed up with a goal of his own. Harvard led George Washington at the end of the overtime period, 15-13. The Crimson defeated the Colonials, 15-13.
Blyashov led the Crimson with five goals, followed by sophomore Austin Sechrest who had four. Junior/goalkeeper Anthony Ridgley made 13 saves to claim the victory for Harvard to help the NWPC Champion improve to 16-7 all-time against George Washington.
The victory marks the second time in as many seasons Harvard earned an overtime win against the MAWPC Champion in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Crimson downed Bucknell University by a 13-12 count in overtime on November 26 at Blodgett Pool on the way to tying for Fourth Place in the final NCAA Championship standings after falling to USC by a 19-4 score at the University of California on December 3 in the tournament semifinals.
For the Colonials, Atakan Destici and Andras Levai shined for GW on the NCAA stage. Destici tallied four goals and two assists, while Levai supplied three goals and four helpers. Pierce Deamer also scored three times. Duke Becker, Andrew Mavis and Jordan Blosser found the net for the Colonials, too.
“You can’t be anything but pleased with what the guys gave us today,” said GW head coach Barry King, who guided the Colonials to the program’s first conference title and NCAA berth in his first season in charge. “They completely emptied their tanks and played with a pride that I don’t know has been seen here before.”
The loss capped a memorable season for GW, which has made quite the turnaround since going winless in conference play just two seasons ago. The Colonials posted their most wins since 1998 on the way to their NCAA debut.
“I know the sting right now is going to linger on the bus ride home, but they’ll step away from this knowing they did everything they possibly could,” King said. “This will serve as a great launching pad for this program moving forward.”
Information courtesy Harvard University & George Washington University Athletics Communications
