“Being a goalkeeper is like being the guy in the military who makes the bombs – one mistake, and everyone gets blown up.”
A famous line from Polish soccer goalkeeper Artur Bortuc perfectly embodies why being a goalkeeper is commonly referred to as the hardest position in sports. The keeper has a thankless job, a job which fans view more as a position that loses them games, not wins them.
For USC men’s water polo, the man between the pipes, redshirt sophomore Bernardo Herzer, takes on the brutal responsibility that accompanies the challenges of being a goalkeeper. This year, Herzer has played very well, with 114 saves and a .487 save percentage. He has four double-digit save outings so far this season, including a career-high 16-save outing in USC’s overtime win against Stanford in the first time the two teams battled it out this season.
He also scored a goal for the first time in his career, only the second time in USC water polo history a keeper has put one in the net. When LMU pulled its goalie for an extra attacker, the Trojans got possession before Herzer heaved one the length of the pool into an open cage.
Water polo, in general, was not always his favorite sport, though. The first time he played was when his dad convinced him to go out with his friends to play the sport.
“I went to my first practice over in Santa Monica – hated it. I totally hated it,” Herzer said. “I convinced my dad I’ll go to practice, but I’m not getting back in the water, like I can’t do it. And just over time, I realized that if I was a goalie in water polo, I wouldn’t have to swim up and down the pool.”
The realization that he didn’t have to swim up and down the pool created one of the best keepers in the nation and someone who is striving to become a crucial part of the U.S. National Team as well.
“Over summer, I’ve been working with Team USA,” Herzer said. “[I] helped with training up until they left for Paris, which was an amazing experience. And I’m really excited to develop with [the Trojans] for two more years and also continue to work with USA.”
When he was younger, Herzer was a member of the USA Youth National team, and even helped win a silver medal for America in the 2022 Junior Pan American games alongside Cal keeper Riley Clansen.
“He’s doing great,” head coach Marko Pintaric said of Herzer. “He’s on a really great path with his progress, the way he’s improving… with this type of work, this type of approach to become the best goalie in the U.S. I wish him really the best of luck to achieve that goal and great success for the National Team because he really wants it and he works super hard to achieve that.”
In order to improve and stay in the pool, Herzer — as did many players during the coronavirus pandemic — decided to go and live in Spain through a program called the Barcelona International Water Polo Academy. In Barcelona, he progressed with some of the top talents in the nation and truly became a top-tier goalie. Sure, he touched up on his Spanish speaking skills while he was there, but this is where Herzer truly evolved into the goalkeeper he is today.
Coming over to USC was not too big of a challenge for Herzer, as the Trojan team consisted of many people he has played with and against in the past.
“From the get-go, it’s been a family, and I’ve always felt welcome here,” Herzer said. “I really love the philosophy we have as a team, [and] the way that [Pintaric] coaches.”
The mentality of family translates into his mentality during the game as well.
“I think a lot of coaches always teach the goldfish mentality,” Herzer said. “I like to try and enjoy what’s going on around me. See the crowd, see your team play for each other, and then from there watch out when somebody has the ball.”
His team-first mentality can be seen throughout the game when he pumps his fist and yells in excitement after saves. Even when a team scores against him, he is never seen yelling at his teammates but instead talking through what happened and letting them know that everything is alright.
An important part of becoming one of the best goalkeepers is statistics, which Herzer takes very seriously. He talked extensively about how he studies shooters and watches film. He also said that he talks with the other goalies on the bench, redshirt freshman Charles Mills and redshirt junior Eric Hubner, to see if there are any trends during the game and how he can adjust.
As a redshirt sophomore, Herzer still has multiple years with USC to develop into an even better keeper and help try to lead USC to its 11th NCAA title.