Harvard Water Polo Team Blows Chances and Match

Having a man advantage proved to be no advantage for the Harvard High water polo team Wednesday in its Southern Section 3-A Division quarterfinal match against La Serna.

Seven times La Serna was called for a penalty that left Harvard with a six-on-five manpower edge, and seven times the host Saracens failed to capitalize.

Coincidentally, Harvard lost by seven goals, 14-7.

Brian Pyle scored three goals for La Serna, despite suffering a cut in the corner of his right eye in the first quarter. His final goal broke a 5-5 third-quarter tie and gave third-seeded La Serna (21-4) a lead it never relinquished.

Pyle was taken to a hospital for stitches after the game.

“The kid is tough,” said Harvard Coach Rich Corso, whose sixth-seeded Saracens (22-7) struggled against a tough man-to-man defense. “He needs stitches in his eye and tells his coaches, ‘Don’t take me out.’ I respect his attitude. He was the key.”

Corso also pointed to his team’s inability to score with an extra player as another factor.

“We were tentative with the ball at six-on-five,” Corso said. “You can’t be like that in championship play.”

Said senior captain Brian Border: “Our six-on-five looked good in practice. If we made a few of those, we would have done better.”

Even with their problems with the extra man, the Saracens battled the Lancers to a 4-4 halftime tie.

Harvard started the third period as the more aggressive team. Ryan Salceda put in his own rebound to give Harvard a 5-4 lead. Shortly after that, three Harvard players broke free toward the La Serna net, but an official stopped the breakaway by calling a foul against La Serna.

La Serna shut down Harvard, then Ryan Loeff tied the score, 5-5.

“The momentum shifted after the call,” La Serna Coach Tom Losonsky said. “When we tied it, the momentum shifted all the way back to us.”

La Serna scored the next five goals to clinch the match.

Rodney Serge scored five goals, four in the final period, for La Serna. Jim Toring scored four goals for Harvard.

In another Southern Section 3-A quarterfinal water polo match:

Riverside Poly 8, Agoura 6--Kevin Driscoll and Terry Polapink each scored two goals for ninth-seeded Agoura (18-6) in Riverside.