CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 11 Harvard men's water polo fell to No. 11 Princeton (20-6, 5-1 NWPC), 12-9, before taking down No. 20 St. Francis (12-5, 5-2 NWPC), 20-5. The Crimson moves to 21-4, 5-2 NWPC on the season.
 
Game 1: Princeton 12, Harvard 9
The Crimson got out to a quick start, thanks to consecutive goals to open the contest from first-year Tyler Zarcu. Junior Gabe Putnam would add another before the Tigers went on a 4-0 run to end the first period. First-year Andrej Basica opened the scoring in the second frame before junior Michael Sonsini scored to give the Crimson a 5-4 lead. Princeton would add two goals before the half and took a 6-5 lead into the break.
 
Basica would once again tie the game up for the Crimson to open the second half, with his second goal of the contest. The Tigers would score three unanswered goals to make it a 9-6 game before sophomore Alexandru Bucur brought the Crimson back to within two, with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
 
With Harvard trailing 9-7 in the fourth, junior goalie Noah Hodge made two huge saves to keep Harvard in the game, including his second five-meter penalty save of the game. Hodge would go on to score after joining the attack with Harvard down three late, as Princeton was able to see out the victory with an empty netter to make it a 12-9 final.
 
Harvard Highlights Game 1

• Junior goalie Noah Hodge made 11 saves while scoring his second goal of the season.
• First-year Andrej Basica netted a hat trick to lead the Crimson.
• First-year Tyler Zarcu totaled two goals to go along with an assist, steal, and block.
• Junior Michael Sonsini added to his team-lead in assists with three while also scoring a goal. 

Game 2: Harvard 20, St. Francis 5
The Crimson had revenge on its minds after falling to St. Francis on the road earlier this season. Harvard started its barrage of goals with Putnam netting the first two of the contest. Junior Alex Tsotadze would score the next two, giving Harvard a 4-0 lead less than four minutes in. Sophomore Owen Hale would follow with three straight goals of his own to give Harvard an 8-0 lead after one. Putnam would tally two within the last 90 seconds of the half, as Harvard went into the break with a 12-3 advantage.
 
Harvard would once again shutout the Terriers offense in the third period. A trio of Crimson first-years would get on the scoresheet in the period, including Andrej Basica, Tyler Zarcu, and Alex James. James and Basica would score the lone Harvard goals in the fourth, as the Crimson saw out the 20-5 victory.

Harvard Highlights Game 2 

• Junior Alex Tsotadze led the Crimson with five goals while adding an assist and steal.
• Sophomore Owen Hale totaled three goals, two assists, and two steals while blocking two shots.
• Junior Gabe Putnam netted four goals, two assists, and two steals in the victory.
• Junior goalie Noah Hodge made eight saves on 11 shots faced to go along with an assist and steal.

Game Notes

• Harvard and Princeton tied at No. 11 in the Weekly CWPA National Top 20 Poll.
• The Crimson splits its season series with Princeton, after defeating the Tigers, 10-8, on Oct. 2.
• The Crimson secured its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.

What's Next? 
Harvard returns for a single home contest tomorrow, Oct. 31., taking on Iona College at 3:00 p.m. (ESPN+).