The Dartmouth men's water polo team defeated Trinity College, Wesleyan University and Yale University this weekend en route to its second New England Club Water Polo championship in three years, securing a bid to the National Club Water Polo championships tournament to be held in two weeks time.
The Big Green, who entered this weekend's tournament at Wesleyan with the first-seed position, quickly dispelled any doubts that they would be unable to defend their claim as the top team in New England.
Against Trinity, one of the weaker teams in the league, Dartmouth came out shooting. Ryan Utsumi '01 notched two goals in the first five minutes of play, helping to put the Big Green up 6-2 by the end of the first period.
Goalie Matt Nelson '00 proved capable of shutting down Trinity's offense with several flashes of superb net minding. Eleven Dartmouth players scored throughout the match, including Nelson from full court, leaving the Big Green with a 24-7 victory.
A spirited Wesleyan squad gave Dartmouth more of a challenge than most expected, after having lost to the Big Green 19-3 in the previous qualifying tournament.
Co-captain Danny Alfonso '99 kept Dartmouth alive on both sides of the court, shutting down Wesleyan's effort to score while contributing to the Big Green's offensive push with three goals.
Co-captain Kenneth Kriwanek '99 tallied four goals during the game and managed to draw a major ejection on Wesleyan's top player in the first half, sidelining him for the rest of the game.
The 11-7 victory on Saturday evening set up Coach Jim Wilson and his squad for a championship berth on Sunday morning. The final game was a must-win situation to qualify for the national tournament.
Heading into the tournament, the Big Green were expecting to meet Williams College in the final. Both teams have either won or taken second place in the New England championships for the last three years.
This season the rivalry progressed as Dartmouth defeated Williams in their first matchup in September, but lost to the Ephs in their only league defeat three weeks ago at a tournament in New Haven.
But instead it was a scrappy Yale squad that qualified for the championship, after defeating Williams in the semi-finals in three grueling periods of overtime.
Shifting gears to play the unexpected Yale team, the Big Green concentrated on shutting down the Bulldogs' main offensive player, who scored 10 goals in Yale's upset win over Williams.
Dartmouth kept a slight lead throughout the game, holding a one- or two-point advantage on its Ivy League rival. But at the end of the third quarter Yale tied the score at 7-7 on a two-point shot from near half court.
The defensive strategy worked well for the Big Green, however, as Alfonso, Kriwanek and John Webb '01 took turns holding their two-meter offensive star to only two goals.
The only point of the fourth quarter came from Utsumi, who assured Dartmouth's victory with a brilliantly placed shot in the last three minutes of the game. Dave Martin '00 and Doug Morton '99 also had notable matches, helping Dartmouth's offensive to the 8-7 victory.
The Big Green, who are currently ranked number three in the country, will head to the University of Miami, Ohio on November 6 for the national tournament, where they will attempt to defend their title as national champions from last season.
Last year, the Big Green defeated the University of Michigan, the University of Iowa, Williams College and the University of Colorado en route to their first national championship. It will take the same type of effort this year to repeat.
