SEASON RECAP: Men's Water Polo

After a disappointing 2003 season, the men’s water polo team knew it would be fighting an uphill battle going into 2004.

At the start of the season, it seemed as though bringing in coach Erik Farrar—former head coach at Brown—had not made a difference. The Crimson sank to a 2-4 record and took home a disappointing eighth place—though the two team captains earned all-tournament honors—at September’s ECAC Tournament.

But instead of sliding further down in the Northern Division, Harvard turned its season around, reaching the title match at the Northern Championships and taking home fourth at Easterns. The team’s second-place finish at Northerns tied its best performance ever.

The seniors made their final shots count, netting 14 of the 17 goals the Crimson had all weekend.

Harvard finished 7-1 in its conference, taking second place—a huge improvement over its 2-5 record the previous year.

“In light of the fact that we had our third coach in three years and that we hadn’t had a particularly great season the year before, we couldn’t have dreamt of doing any better,” co-captain Rick Offsay said. “It was the perfect way to end off our career and leave this place with the water polo program back to where it was our freshman year.”

The team’s success was due in large part to its ability to eke out close wins, which it was unable to do at ECACs. The Crimson’s season gained momentum after an intense 8-7 win over cross-town rival MIT on Oct. 6, just a few days after Harvard lost to the Engineers at the ECACs.

Anchored by Offsay’s offense and junior Robbie Burmeister’s steadfast play in goal, Harvard was able to knock off its competition and bolster its record enough to make it to Northerns.

The stars were not aligned in its favor, however. Burmeister was injured towards the end of the season, and with no regular standby goalie, sophomore Eric Byrd entered the cage for the Crimson at a pivotal point.

Byrd surprised everyone—including himself—with his solid play. With help from coach Farrar and Burmeister, Byrd gained confidence in his skills, which showed through when it mattered most.

After knocking off Connecticut College in the first game, the Crimson found itself facing Brown once again.

The two teams split their prior meetings with one win apiece. Brown had won the first contest, while Harvard dominated the Bears 6-2 in the Crimson’s final home game. The victory was so tense at the end that fans and players alike jumped into the pool after the game.

The rivals met again, each vying for a bid to the title game. Facing tremendous pressure against the Bears, Byrd was able to help Harvard earn a 9-8 victory in sudden-death overtime in which senior John Lynch scored the winning goal. The win propelled the Crimson to the championship game against St. Francis, which it eventually lost, 16-5.

Harvard not only regained bragging rights in its rivalry against Brown, but proved to MIT that it is not the only team in Cambridge that can play.

In 2003, the Crimson lost time and again in bizarre twists of events to the Engineers—such as a penalty called on a Harvard player, giving MIT the opportunity to score a goal and win.

This time, Harvard had the pleasure of beating the Engineers at MIT, dealing the team its first home loss on the season.

While the raucous MIT fans wailed in the background, the Crimson maintained its focus, knocking off the Engineers by one goal and evening out its record to 4-4.

The Crimson’s success was undoubtedly attributable to the ability of Farrar to put the talented players where they belonged.

Offsay, co-captain Mike Gerrity, and Lynch helped return the program to the high status it was at when they entered Harvard their freshman year.

“Our seniors set a precedent,” sophomore Voith said—a precedent the team should be able to match again with the talent it still has.

Other highlights of the year included sophomore Mike Garcia, who improved upon his prolific freshman year and cemented his status as the replacement offensive force for Offsay.

Voith also deserves mention. Though Voith transferred to the polo team from swimming just this year, he was regularly found sprinting to the ball and grabbing the ball for the Crimson at the start of each period.

The next step for the team will be to make it to the championship game at Easterns—omething Offsay is confident they have the talent to accomplish.

—Staff writer Megha Parekh can be reached at parekh@fas.harvard.edu.