SEASON RECAP: Late-Season Struggles End Solid Year

Harvard water polo is like the elevator business—it has its ups and downs.

So in a season marked by a number of close losses, the men’s team still showed flashes of potential, finishing near the middle of the Northern Division pack at 7-17 overall with a 3-3 conference record.

In particular, after relying heavily on its star co-captains David Tune ’09 and Jay Connolly ’09 last season, the Crimson emerged as a more balanced squad this time around, getting offensive contributions from 14 different players—nine of whom reached double digits in scoring.

“I think [the offense] evolved over the course of the season,” junior co-captain Bret Voith said. “A lot of the scoring was distributed pretty evenly…and I think that helped with individual player development, but at the same time, our offense never really developed an identity.”

Indeed, with the offense relying on the cohesion of the entire team, it is not surprising that the squad took awhile to click. Harvard dropped six of its first seven contests at the MIT and Princeton Invitationals.

Soon enough, though, this offensive unit began to gel, and fueled by solid goaltending, the Crimson turned things around. Harvard reeled off three wins in the next five contests—including league wins over MIT and Queens (N.Y.)—thanks in large part to the work of senior Nikhil Balaraman and sophomore Alexandre Popp between the pipes.

“[Balaraman] had a great season,” co-captain Egen Atkinson said. “He won the coaches’ award at the team banquet, which is given to the guy who puts the team before his own needs. I think that encapsulates Nikhil’s mentality. He was always concerned about the team and not his own glory or playing time.”

Indeed, with a relatively even split between the two goalies, neither enjoyed the recognition that Connolly did as one of the league’s best keepers. Balaraman proved to be more than capable as a keeper, averaging nearly nine saves per game in his 13 starts. Popp was not far behind with 90 stops in just 11 contests.

Bolstered by dependable play in net, Harvard knew it had the pieces in place to be successful. Voith and fellow juniors Alex Thompson and Jeff Lee emerged as talented scorers, racking up 28, 29, and 21 tallies, respectively. But after another dominant victory over Connecticut College, the Crimson’s season took a nosedive. Four straight losses at home left the team vulnerable heading into the Northern Division Championships, and Harvard dropped its opening match to MIT, 7-5, effectively ending the season without a bid to the Eastern Championships.

“We were a little disappointed with the season,” Atkinson said. “We had a couple fun wins, including one over MIT early in the season, but we didn’t put it together to make it to Easterns.”

Despite missing out on the postseason, Harvard closed the Northern Tournament with two wins, reminding its opponents that it remains competitive in the division.

Although Atkinson and Balaraman’s departures leave holes to be filled, with Popp in net and the trio of junior scorers—aided by rookie standout Max Eliot—headlining the squad’s 12 returning athletes, Harvard has reason for optimism in 2010.

And even more importantly, perhaps, is the Crimson’s influx of new talent, with a class of six incoming freshmen to supplement last year’s haul of just two rookies. Atkinson attributed this increase directly to the coaching staff.

“We had an amazing addition to the team in Shana Welch, the assistant coach,” Atkinson said. “She’s going to do huge things in terms of recruiting.”

Unfortunately for Harvard, Welch will represent one of the few constants among the coaches.

After six years at the head of the men’s and women’s teams, coach Erik Farrar resigned in mid-May, leaving the team in flux.

Still, with Voith returning as co-captain, joined by sophomore Luka Babic, the Crimson knows it is in good hands.

“I’m excited to see what Bret and Luka can do as co-captains,” Atkinson said. “I’d like to think Bret and I set some precedents...and I hope that Luka and Bret will be able to build on the things that worked.”

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.