M. Water Polo Falls to Ninth at ECACs

The Harvard men’s water polo team continued its struggles this weekend at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship.

The Crimson (1-10), which was the number nine seed, met expectations by finishing ninth out of 10 teams after losing all three games over the weekend while Princeton won the title.

St. Francis 11, Harvard 5

Saturday morning’s game against third-seeded St. Francis was an indication of how the entire weekend would unfold. Harvard lost 11-5 despite the efforts of junior captain Rick Offsay, who scored two goals, and freshman Alasandro Lazzarine, who also added two goals.

The Crimson started off well, and the score remained tied at one at the end of the first quarter. The unyielding defense refused to give the Terrier offense many opportunities to score on senior goalie Reid Bolton.

Unfortunately for Harvard, as the game progressed, its players tired and succumbed to the stronger St. Francis team.

Brown 15, Harvard 6

The fatigued Crimson played again Saturday night against sixth-seeded Brown in a rematch of Thursday’s matchup, which Harvard lost 13-2. The Bears attacked quickly and forcefully, outplaying the Crimson right from the start of the game and dealing Harvard its worst loss of the weekend, 15-6.

Offsay was held to just a single goal, and the defense wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been in Thursday night’s loss.

Iona 12, Harvard 8

The tournament ended for the Crimson yesterday morning with a 12-8 loss to fifth-seeded Iona.

Renewed by a night of rest, Harvard played better than it had in its previous two games.

The Crimson battled competitively during the first quarter, keeping the score tied at two entering the second quarter.

But fatigue kicked in yet again and Harvard scored just one goal in the second quarter while the Gaels added four, making the score 6-3 at the half.

“Everyone got a little bit too emotional and excited, and they took advantage of that,” said Offsay, who had three goals on the game.

While the Crimson did show signs of life during the second half, each time it gained momentum and narrowed the gap, Iona scored again and crushed Harvard’s hopes for a come-from-behind win.

With the losses, the Crimson drops to a disappointing 1-10 on the season. Offsay attributes Harvard’s difficulties to the fact that the team is currently both exhausted and battling injuries.

“We’re a depleted team right now,” Offsay said.

Sophomore starting goalie Robbie Burmeister did not play at all this weekend due to a stress fracture in his lower left leg, but should return for the Crimson’s next game, an Oct. 10 contest at MIT.

Harvard remains hopeful for the future. According to Offsay, the Crimson has shown opposing teams that it can compete; it just need to rest and build its endurance so it can continue to play forcefully past the first quarter.

“We’re getting better with every team we play,” freshman Michael Garcia said. “We just need more experience.”

The Crimson has also been encouraged by the play of its freshmen. In addition to Lazzarine, Garcia had an outstanding weekend, playing his best games of the season.