SANTA CLARA, Calif. – No. 13 Harvard men's water polo fell 13-10 to No. 7 UC Santa Barbara (17-7, 0-2 GCC) to close out its west coast trip. Junior goalie Noah Hodge made 15 saves as the Crimson head back home with a 20-3, 4-1 NWPC record.  
 
Harvard fell behind 3-1 early against the Gauchos, tallying a lone goal from junior Alex Tsotadze in the first period. The Crimson got back into the game with consecutive goals from sophomore Mot Stothart before sophomore Alexandru Bucur scored to make it a 5-4 deficit at the half. Junior goalie Noah Hodge made ten of his 15 saves in the first half.
 
The Crimson were bested in the third, conceding four goals while scoring a trio from sophomore Owen Hale and juniors Michael Sonsini and Gabe Putnam. Tsotadze, Hale, and Putnam would add goals in the final frame, but it was not enough as the Crimson ultimately fell to the No. 7 ranked Gauchos, 13-10, snapping its ten game winning streak.

Harvard Highlights 

• Sophomore Owen Hale totaled two goals, two assists, and a steal in the defeat.
• Junior goalie Noah Hodge made 15 saves on 28 shot attempts by the Gauchos.
• Sophomore Alexandru Bucur netted a goal to go along with two assists.

Game Notes

• Harvard leaves the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament with a 3-1 showing.
• The Crimson suffered its first loss at a neutral site this season, falling to 5-1.
• Harvard's second contest against a top 10 ranked opponent this season, after previously beating No. 9 Princeton, 10-8 on Oct. 2.

What's Next? 
Harvard returns home for a trio of home NWPC contests at Blodgett Pool taking place on Oct. 23-24. The action begins on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. against No. 12 Princeton before a matchup with St. Francis Brooklyn at 5:00 p.m. Harvard will then take on Iona College at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday to close out the weekend. All games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.