The men’s water polo team finished its first major tournament of the season on Sunday, winning both of its matches with relative ease. The first game was against the University of Western, with the men winning easily, 17-8. The second game was against last year’s league champion McMaster. U of T once again took the win, this time 12-6.
So far the team is undefeated this season and is tops in its league.
“The league this year is fairly evenly matched,” said head coach Som Seif. “Both teams that we played today are very good.”
But on Sunday the Blues triumphed against tough competition, playing with great determination and confidence.
“We played a good game,” said team member Leo Leung. “All of our starting six are veterans this year and that really helps. We play better as a unit and we have more confidence out there.”
Still, coaches and players voiced strong feelings about the necessity for more discipline within the team, both in games and in practice. Bad passes during the game, kicking the ball out at the wrong times, and other minor errors can combine to really hurt a team in a game where fortunes can turn instantaneously.
The key this season, Seif said, is to ensure that the team is improving with each game that it plays.
“The games this weekend were excellent from that perspective,” Seif said, “the game versus Western was good, but the one versus McMaster was much better. That’s what we want to see this season. We want to be able to keep up our momentum and ensure that we don’t fall off as time goes on. This was an excellent example of that.”
The men have a chance to defend their winning record on Nov. 1, in Hamilton, versus McMaster.
