PRINCETON, N.J. – No. 12 Harvard men's water polo was taken down by No. 19 St. Francis Brooklyn, 11-10, in the NWPC Semifinals at DeNunzio Pool. The Crimson will return tomorrow to take on Brown in the third-place match at 11:00 a.m.
 
The stage was set for a rubber match between the Crimson and Terriers, after splitting the regular-season series 1-1. It was St. Francis that got out to a quick start, netting the first three goals of the game which prompted a Harvard timeout with 4:31 left in the first period. Harvard would respond out of the timeout, with goals from Tyler Zarcu, Alex Tsotadze and Owen Hale to tie the score at three. St. Francis would find a last-second goal in the frame to lead 4-3 after one. The second period would mirror the first in terms of goals scored, with Hale and Tsotadze scoring along with Kaleb Archer for the Crimson. The Terriers took an 8-6 lead into the half.
 
The second half would see a defensive battle unfold, with both teams being held scoreless through the first 5:38. Mot Stothart would find the back of the net first, followed by an answer from St. Francis, a Harvard goal from Gabe Putnam, and another Terriers goal to make it a 10-8 game headed to the final frame. Harvard brought it to within one with an early goal from Owen Hale which saw five straight minutes of scoreless water polo follow. The Crimson was able to tie it up for the first time since the first period, with an Alexandru Bucur goal with 1:58 remaining. With a potential overtime period looming, the Terriers were able to find a goal in the last minute and see out the final seconds on the clock for the 11-10 victory.

Harvard Highlights 

• Sophomore Owen Hale netted three goals to lead the Crimson to go along with two blocks.
• Junior Michael Sonsini paced the Crimson attack with four assists, extending his team-high total to 70.
• Junior Gabe Putnam tallied three assists, three steals, and four ejections drawn while netting a goal for the Crimson.

Game Notes

• Harvard moves to 26-5 on the season following the defeat, with St. Francis being the only school to hand the Crimson two losses this season.
• The Crimson played in only its second contest this season decided by one goal, after previously beating Santa Clara, 13-12, on Oct. 23.
• Harvard will take on Brown in the third-place match tomorrow, after previously beating the Bears in all three meetings this season. St. Francis will face host Princeton in the Championship game.

What's Next? 
Harvard will play in the NWPC third-place match, tomorrow (Nov. 21), at 11:00 a.m. against Brown University at DeNunzio Pool. Brown fell to Princeton, 14-9, in their semifinal tilt.