In their first five games of the season at the MIT Invitational, the men’s water polo team showed that its young squad—with two freshman, one sophomore, three juniors, and a senior goaltender starting—has talent yet to be molded into a solid unit.

With former standout Rick Offsay ’05 now on the sidelines as an assistant coach, the Crimson is adjusting to a new style of play.

Harvard (2-3) had a shaky start to the season, dropping three of the five games played.

But the team, which has not been able to practice in Blodgett Pool yet because of remodeling, got its first taste of competition this weekend and was pleased with the result.

Co-captain Robbie Burmeister was impressed with his younger teammates, and said “they are picking up and adjusting to the college game quickly.”

BROWN 6, HARVARD 3

Harvard walked away with bragging rights against Brown last season, but the Bears came back hungry for revenge. Brown jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first few minutes of the game.

“I think we came out a little flat. They were pretty fired up, and they took advantage of some defensive mistakes,” Burmeister said. “Once we got our bearings, I would say that we did a really good job.”

Though the Crimson’s offense was unable to find an answer for Brown, two-meters junior John Voith and freshman Danny Bilotti, were able to help Burmeister stem the Bears’ offensive output, especially during the second and fourth periods.

Harvard scored two goals on counters to get the score within one, but Brown went on a second offensive tear in the third period.

“They came out right away really strong, but once we settled down it evened out,” Voith said. “They scored during periods of our defense breaking down...In the long run we’ll be better.”

HARVARD 13, TORONTO 4

The new Crimson team was able to enjoy pounding Toronto, and the victory raised team spirits, especially after failing to put up a single goal in its previous game.

“That turned it around from where we started brought energy into the team. We definitely played with a lot more purpose and energy,” junior co-captain Michael Garcia said.

Burmeister said the team’s defense forced counters which turned into scoring opportunities, allowing Harvard to dominate the game.