Freshman MICHAEL GARCIA (4) scored with just 0:46 remaining in the second overtime period Friday night to force a third extra session, but the men’s water polo team ultimately fell to MIT 7-6.

The Harvard men’s water polo team was a bigger tease than Britney Spears this weekend.

While it had the opportunity to win all three home games—its first contests at Blodgett Pool all season—this weekend, the Crimson (2-13) came away with just one victory, beating Connecticut College 9-6 yesterday morning. Harvard lost 7-6 to both No. 20 MIT on Friday and Queens College yesterday afternoon in two very close, very heated games.

Harvard 9, Conn. College 6

The Crimson’s second win of the season came in the form of an all-out attack on the Camels (1-9).

In just the first quarter, Harvard scored five unanswered goals with a combined effort from junior captain Rick Offsay, junior Mike Gerrity and freshman Mike Garcia—the Crimson’s three highest scorers. Offsay has 30 goals, Gerrity 19 and Garcia 17. Gerrity and Garcia also lead the team in steals and assists.

Connecticut College put itself on the board late in the first quarter on a goal with 1:33 remaining, but never fully recovered from the early assault.

Since the Crimson had a second game to worry about in the afternoon, Harvard coach Scott Russell took advantage of the lead and turned to his reserves in the second quarter. The Camels scored two goals, making the score 5-3, prompting Russell to reinsert some starters with 1:20 left in the first half.

Offsay increased the Crimson lead to 6-3 before the break. After a pass from senior Todd Schulte, Offsay fought off the two defenders on top of him and scored as he was being plunged underwater.

Senior goaltender Reid Bolton, who came into the game in the second quarter, held the Camel offense to three goals in the second half. Connecticut College did close the margin to 6-5, but Harvard answered back with goals from senior Will Garrigues—his first of the season—and Gerrity.

At the end of the game, two hours before its contest against Queens College, Harvard hopped out of the pool with its second win of the season, a victory it sorely needed after its heartbreaking, triple overtime loss to crosstown rival MIT two nights earlier.

MIT 7, Harvard 6 (3 OT)

Though the Crimson played tough through four quarters, overtime and double overtime, it fell to MIT in sudden-death triple overtime.

After almost 37 minutes of play, the Engineers won the game on a penalty throw by junior Dan Jacobs after a foul was called on Garcia.

“To end the game on a four-meter is a really tough way to lose,” sophomore goalie Robbie Burmeister said. “Four-meters are hard for goalies because we either guess a side or just come out and try to take it off the angle. I got a pretty good piece of the ball, but obviously not quite enough.”

It was Garcia’s goal that allowed the Crimson to force overtime when he scored with 0:46 left in double overtime to tie the score at six. Engineer junior David Lohrey had scored twenty seconds earlier, putting the ball past Burmeister and into the right corner of the net.