For the second straight year, the co−ed water polo team is undefeated and champions of the North Atlantic Division of the Collegiate Water Polo Association headed into the national championship. And for the second straight year, the Jumbos have the expectation of bringing home the gold.
The squad this weekend secured the North Atlantic Division Championship with a nail−biting 16−15 win over Amherst in the Lord Jeffs' home pool. The win preserved the Jumbos' current 11−game winning streak and kept their hopes alive for a repeat of last year's undefeated, national championship−winning campaign.
"Winning the division was huge," senior co−captain Alex Abeger said. "It made all the hard work that we put in as a team worth it."
"Overcoming Amherst in the final was even better," he continued. "They were our toughest competition in the regular season, and they showed up to play in their home pool against us with a huge crowd supporting them."
It was not by chance that the championship game came down to Tufts and Amherst. During the regular season, the Jumbos' closest game by far was a 12−11 victory over the Lord Jeffs on Oct. 2. In the nine games Tufts has played against teams other than Amherst, the closest margin of victory was four.
"It's always hard to win, especially at championships, because by that point every team has shaken off the cobwebs and shows up to play," senior co−captain Joe Lessard said. "We're often at an advantage at the beginning of the season because we're very tough on ourselves with conditioning and drills, but by the end of the season, it tends to be a more even playing field."
"The championship game was hard this year," Abeger added. "I wouldn't say it was harder [than last year's], but it meant more because it was to remain undefeated. We haven't lost since my sophomore year."
More specifically, the team is on a 25−game win streak, and the current senior class is an astounding 50−3, dating back to the fall of '07, with one loss in the national semifinals in '07, a loss in the division championship of '08 and another defeat in the national semifinals of '08. In 2009, however, the Jumbos went a perfect 14−0 and captured the national championship.
"The season as a whole is just an upswing," Abeger said. "We have continued our undefeated record, re−qualified for nationals, and hope to repeat as champions."
The team's success this season has come thanks to the influx of a strong freshman class as well as the continued development of the team's primary scorers. In a sport where conditioning is so vital to success, a deep bench is always essential.
"We were lucky to have a great freshman turnout, specifically a group of freshmen who have prior experience," Abeger said. "We also have some new water polo players who have worked very hard and become good players in their own right."
"We measure most of the success in our players in their dedication to the team and how they fare on defense," Lessard added. "We play defense first and offense second."
Of course, a stalwart goaltender is paramount to any team's chance of winning. With senior Brian Canter in the cage for the Jumbos, the team hasn't had much to worry about.
"I think that Brian Canter has been a stone wall in the cage all season," Abeger said. "In the Division Championship, when we had to go back and play part of the third quarter all over again, Amherst was awarded a 5−meter penalty shot. Brian took position and stick−saved the shot and saved us from going down 11−8."
Abeger and Lessard gave nods to other statistical giants such as junior Benji Koltai, the team's center, who scores goals by the handful and leads the teams in steals, as well as senior Matt Burke, who provides a strong defensive presence in front of the cage.
Not to be forgotten, however, is the versatile freshman Pike Hughes, whom the team hails as one of its hardest workers as well as the resident mood lifter.
"[Hughes is] a great new element to our team," Abeger said. "He works hard in practice and has improved a lot, and has provided the team with laughs with one−liner jokes in between periods to lighten the mood."
The Div. III Club National Championship will take place at Macalester College (Minn.) on Nov. 6−7. The team believes it has the talent to take home the title and that it's just a matter of following through and getting the job done.
"We just have to continue to play Tufts water polo — defense first and our offense will come," Abeger said. "We know we can score goals, but we need to prevent the other team from scoring. When it comes to offense, we need to drive and open up the middle of the pool for our centers to get good shots."
"One of our captains from last year came up with the idea of, ‘What's the score?' to which we always reply ‘0−0,'" Lessard added. "It's the mentality that you play every possession as hard as you can and defend like you're tied and look to score like you're tied.
"We could be up by 10 goals or down by five," he continued. "It's always 0−0 in our minds."
