M. Water Polo Season Ends Abruptly

A 20-7 record with a nine-game winning streak. A top 20 ranking through most of the season. A No. 2 seed at the Northern championships

But the Harvard men’s water polo team’s great season ended abruptly after the ball failed to tip the Crimson’s way in one unlucky first-round game.

The Crimson ended its season at the Northern Championships this weekend at Blodgett Pool with a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to unranked Brown in the opening game. The loss put the No. 15 Crimson into the consolation bracket, so the team could not place in the top four and advance to play in the Eastern Championship next week. Harvard went on to defeat the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and MIT to place fifth in the tournament.

Tied 6-6 late in the fourth quarter in the opener, Brown was able to score with 14 seconds remaining in regulation when Bears freshman Andy Weiner converted a pass from fellow freshman Sean Tiner. The ball got past Crimson keeper Robbie Burmeister and proved to be the gamewinner.

Seventh-seeded Brown surprised the Crimson, who had beaten the Bears twice this season. The Crimson defeated Brown 9-8 at the Harvard Invitational and 11-8 in a regular season dual.

Crimson players were very disappointed in the way the season ended.

“It was a heartbreaking loss for us,” said senior driver Theo Ludwick. “I wouldn’t say we played poorly. All the rolls went Brown’s way.”

Brown benefited from two goals scored through lucky deflections. The Crimson, meanwhile, was not able to capitalize on numerous goal opportunities as the ball hit the post multiple times.

Harvard played Brown without two of its key starters. Senior goalkeeper Paul Tselentis was in South Africa interveiwing as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Co-captain Alex Fisher was missing in action due to a fractured cheek bone suffered during the Navy game at the ECAC Championships last weekend.

Burmeister, a freshman playing in his most important start to date, performed well in Tselentis’ stead.

“Robbie played well,” Ludwick said. “He played solid in the cage. He stepped in well for Paul.”

After the loss, the team played the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The Crimson easily defeated the No. 6 seed, 16-4.

“We absolutely dominated this game,” said Burmeister. “We’re one of the best teams on the East Coast, and that did not show at all in the Brown game. We were playing for pride [against the USMMA] and it was fun.”

The Crimson advanced to the fifth place game in the tournament versus No. 5 seed MIT, winning 10-6 and completing a four-game season sweep of the Engineers. Tselentis played in his final game for the Crimson shortly after returning from South Africa.

While Harvard could only manage fifth in the Northern Tournament, Queens, St. Francis, Brown and Iona placed first through fourth respectively, and will advance to the Eastern Championships at Brown in two weeks. Navy, Princeton, Bucknell and Johns Hopkins advanced from the Southern bracket this weekend.

After playing in Eastern last year, Crimson players are left to reflect on a strong season and opportunity lost.

“We were disappointed with this weekend,” said Fisher. “This doesn’t take anything away from the rest of the season. We played well this year.”