NEW ROCHELLE, NY. – No. 15 Harvard men's water polo took down Iona College 18-14, wrapping up a 2-1 weekend to begin NWPC conference play.
Junior
Alex Tsotadze totaled six goals and two assists while sophomore
Alexandru Bucur scored four goals of his own to lead the Crimson attack.
Sophomore
Cam Dougherty and first-year
Andrej Basica opened the scoring for the Crimson with early goals. Bucur and Tsotadze would net their first goals of the game in the first period as Harvard (11-2, 2-1 NWPC) went into the break tied at 4. Bucur caught fire in the second quarter, firing in three goals to give the Crimson a 10-6 advantage at the half.
Sophomore
Kaleb Archer netted his first goal of the game to give Harvard a 12-6 lead over the Gaels (4-7, 1-2 NWPC) with 5:12 remaining in the third. Tsotadze would bury three goals in the third period while sophomore
Max Keck scored to give Harvard a 16-10 lead after three. Junior goalie
Noah Hodge made eight of his 12 saves in the second half as Harvard pulled away.
Harvard Highlights
- Junior Alex Tsotadze tallied a game-high six goals to go along with two assists and a steal.
- Junior Michael Sonsini led the Crimson with five assists while also netting a goal.
- Sophomore Alexandru Bucur scored a season-high four goals in the win.
- Sophomore Kaleb Archer and first-year Andrej Basica tallied two steals each to lead the defensive effort.
Game Notes
- Harvard starts NWPC conference play with a 2-1 record on the weekend.
- The Crimson never trailed at any point in the game.
- Harvard improved its all-time record against Iona College to 26-11.
What's Next?
Harvard will host a pair of NWPC games at Blodgett Pool, taking on Brown on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 4:00 p.m. before a matchup with MIT on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 12:00 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
