M. Water Polo Drops Three of Five Out West

For a few hours this weekend, the Harvard men’s water polo squad had earned a winning record. After defeating Pomona-Pitzer its opening game of the Claremont Convergence, the Crimson was 5-4. It was the first time since the season opener Harvard had been above .500.

But its roller coaster ride of wins and losses continued as the weekend progressed, with the Crimson dropping three of its final four contests, including a 13-7 loss to No. 9 Pepperdine in its final game on the west coast, leaving its record at 6-7 for the season.

Senior co-captain Rick Offsay led the Crimson, scoring 15 of the team’s 35 goals throughout the five games.

PEPPERDINE 13, HARVARD 7

In its most decisive loss of the weekend, the Crimson fell Sunday despite early inklings Harvard might be able to produce enough offense to win.

Offsay was out and running early, scoring three goals in the first period to give the Crimson a two-goal lead.

“I was able to get a couple quick goals at two-meters,” Offsay said. “But then they got their defense squared away.”

The Waves wised up to Harvard’s strategy and began to cover Offsay more closely, holding the Crimson to just four goals for the remainder of the game—one from Offsay, two from sophomore Mike Garcia and one from co-captain Mike Gerrity.

Garcia also tallied three steals during the game.

HARVARD 8, LA VERNE 7

In its second nail-biting game Saturday, the Crimson pushed the game into overtime against the Leopards. Only this time, driven by a defeat earlier against Santa Clara, Harvard would not allow itself to lose, prevailing 8-7.

“We kept fighting back and were able to do what we couldn’t do in the morning,” Offsay said.

The odds were stacked against the Crimson, which had played a tense game into double overtime and lost earlier that morning, whereas La Verne was coming into the game fully rested.

Sophomore John Voith scored the go-ahead goal—his second of the contest—to open the overtime frame, and though Garcia was relatively quiet during the game, he notched the team’s final score, to put Harvard up 8-6.

At the end of the game, the Leopards were able to put the ball in the net, but it was too late for it to overcome the Crimson’s two-goal lead. Offsay scored twice in the game, while Gerrity and Greg Marvin-Smith netted one goal each.

“The La Verne game was a real turning point in our season,” Voith said. “We started playing like a totally different team, with all the players stepping up. We know we can win in overtime.”

SANTA CLARA 10, HARVARD 9

Christopher Ludwick showed just how important the freshmen are to the Crimson by eking out a goal—his first big goal for the team—with just one second left to force the teams into double overtime.

But in the final overtime, Harvard was unable to even the score after the Broncos put the ball past netminder Robbie Burmeister, and dropped the close match 10-9.

“I thought we were the better team,” Voith said. “We just weren’t playing like it.”

Santa Clara could have run away with its 3-0 lead early in the game, but the Crimson offense could not be squelched for long. Offsay and Garcia netted five and three goals, respectively, to send the game into overtime. But throughout the game, once the Crimson tied the score, it was unable to execute and get on top, forcing itself to play catch-up for most of the game.

“The close loss to Santa Clara made the La Verne game extra satisfying,” Offsay said.

REDLANDS 9, HARVARD 6

Trailing by just one goal in the fourth period, Harvard was able to play competitively against 20th-ranked Redlands. In the final three-and-a-half minutes, however, the Bulldogs were able to pull away with a three-goal lead, and ultimately squashed the Crimson, ending its three-game win streak.

“We came out of the pool feeling good,” Voith said, “but we were mad that we lost. It was a close game until the end.”

Offsay and Garcia scored two goals apiece. Gerrity netted a goal as well. Senior John Lynch tallied the other goal for Harvard, along with four steals.

HARVARD 7, POMONA-PITZER 6

“It was our first game out in the sun after a long plane ride,” Offsay said of the team’s first West Coast contest, “so we had a lot of reasons to be sluggish.”

But Harvard was nowhere near sluggish, commanding a 7-3 lead until late in the game.

Offsay’s two goals were supplemented by goals from Marvin-Smith, Gerrity and Garcia, and freshmen Michael Byrd and Brian Kuczynski.

Burmeister helped keep the game close, frustrating the Sagehens’ efforts to overcome the one-goal deficit by making nine saves. Garcia helped Burmeister keep the ball out of the goal by stealing the ball from Pomona-Pitzer six times.

“Mike and Robbie had a phenomenal weekend for us,” Offsay said.

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