Before each period of the game started, junior goalie Robbie Burmeister swam out to the goal, propelled himself up out of the water and slapped the top crossbar of the net. The sound resonated through Blodgett Pool, warning the other team that he was ready for it to try and invade his domain.

Though the men’s water polo team finished eighth, with only one win and three losses in the ECAC tournament, Burmeister’s defensive skills and devotion to the game couldn’t be ignored.

But it would be easy to take Burmeister for granted, since he was so dependable throughout the tournament. He made blocking the bullets thrown his way look easy, as he bobbed in and out of the water, reaching to tip the ball out of the way.

“Robbie had an absolutely fantastic tournament,” senior co-captain Rick Offsay said. “He really saved us a couple times.”

The two toughest matches the Crimson played, against Navy and Bucknell, were decided by just one goal. The defense, quarterbacked by Burmeister, helped keep the Crimson in the tight games, though the team came up short in the end.

“When your goalie is stopping shots, it’s like a catalyst for everyone to get pumped up,” sophomore John Voith said. “We want to go to the other side and score.”

Burmeister successfully held the Navy offense at bay for nearly the final five minutes of Harvard’s first game, before giving up the goal—which may have been after the buzzer—that gave the Midshipmen the win.

After the loss to Navy, Burmeister stood at the side of the pool in front of the packed stands of Crimson fans, took his cap of his head and waved it in the air to acknowledge his appreciation for the support the team received.

In the win against Queens College, Burmeister shut out the Knights for the first 10 minutes of the game.

For the fans at the games, it was Burmeister’s voice they heard the most, while he continuously yelled to his teammates, pushing them to swim and play harder.

As goaltender, Burmeister had the responsibility of worrying about the “thinking” part of the game, and had to make split second decisions that could alter the outcome.

“I am lucky enough not to have to swim up and down the pool so I try and help my players out as much as possible with the thinking part of the game,” Burmeister said. “They work their butts off on offense and defense which makes it hard to always think clearly, especially on defense.”  

Burmeister was also one of the most vocal players in the pool, guiding his teammates to their positions in certain situations.

“It is my job to make sure the defense is in the best possible position to prevent a goal,” Burmeister said. “I try to run the defense in a way that makes it easy for me to know where a potential shot will come from.”

Burmeister’s teammates regard him as the cornerstone of the defense and note his crucial role in the team’s success.

“Once we get a few other defensive things squared away, we’ll be impossible to beat,” Offsay said. “And that starts with Robbie.”