BROOKLYN, NY – No. 15 Harvard men's water polo began NWPC conference play with a 10-8 win over No. 9 Princeton before falling to St. Francis Brooklyn, 12-10.
 
Junior goalie Noah Hodge totaled 30 saves and scored a goal across the two games while first-year Andrej Basica paced the offense with four goals on the day as Harvard (10-2, 1-1 NWPC) split its first two true road games.
 
Game 1: Harvard 10, Princeton 8
Princeton (13-3, 1-1 NWPC) got out to an early lead after scoring on their first possession, but sophomore Kaleb Archer and junior Michael Sonsini quickly answered with goals to give Harvard a lead. Sophomore Owen Hale netted two goals to close out the period, and Harvard led 4-2 after one. Hale would add another in the second frame before sophomore Mot Stothart made it a 6-2 game while the Tigers could not get passed junior goalie Noah Hodge. Hodge made eight saves in the first half and Harvard took a 6-3 lead into halftime.
 
Junior Alex Tsotadze would make it 7-3 in the third quarter, before Princeton rallied back to tie the game at 7 early in the fourth. First-year Andrej Basica was able to break the deadlock with his first goal of the contest with 5:43 remaining. Stothart would add another before junior Gabe Putnam secured the 10-8 win with a last-minute goal.

Harvard Highlights Game 1

• Sophomore Owen Hale tallied three goals and three blocks to lead the Crimson.
• Junior goalie Noah Hodge made 14 saves on 22 shots to go along with an assist and two steals.
• Junior Michael Sonsini netted a goal and added a game-high four assists.

Game 2: St. Francis Brooklyn 12, Harvard 10
Basica got Harvard on the board in the first period against St Francis (9-3, 2-0 NWPC) with two goals as they went into the second period tied at two. Hodge made six of his 16 saves in the second frame while Archer, Stothart, and sophomore Alexandru Bucur netted goals to make it a 5-5 game at half.
 
Sonsini and Tsotadze highlighted the third period for the Crimson with goals as Harvard saw themselves trailing by a goal going into the final frame. Harvard tallied goals from Basica and unlikely source Hodge to keep the game close but eventually fell to the Terriers, 12-10.
 
Harvard Highlights Game 2

• Junior goalie Noah Hodge tied his season-high with 16 saves and scored his first goal of the season.
• First-year Andrej Basica netted a hat-trick to go along with a steal.
• Junior Michael Sonsini filled with stat sheet with two goals, an assist, and a steal.

Game Notes

• Harvard recorded its second win over a ranked opponent this season, after defeating No. 16 Bucknell, 14-10, on Sept 11.
• The Crimson took its first regular season NWPC loss since Oct. 6, 2018, vs. Brown.
• Harvard recorded its fourth straight victory over Princeton.
• The Crimson fell to St. Francis for the first time in eight contests. 

What's Next? 
Harvard is set to travel to Iona College on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 10:00 a.m.