PRINCETON, N.J. – No. 12 Harvard men's water polo fell 15-13 to Brown in the NWPC third-place game on Sunday morning at DeNunzio Pool. The Crimson closes out its season taking fourth place in the NWPC Championships and posts a 26-6 overall record.
The two Ivy League sides met for the fourth time this season, after both suffering semifinal defeat the day prior.
Andrej Basica got the Crimson rolling early, scoring the first two goals of the game within the first two minutes. Brown would also find their offense early, netting four goals total in the first period.
Alexandru Bucur got on the scorehseet with seven seconds left to make it a 4-4 game after one.
Owen Hale and
Alex Tsotadze would net goals in the second period for the Crimson, who went into halftime with the game nodded at six goals apiece.
The Bears would come out and grab an 8-6 lead with two goals to begin the second half.
Kaleb Archer responded with back-to-back goals of his own before Hale, Tsotadze, and
Gabe Putnam would tally goals for Harvard. Goalie
Noah Hodge saved a five-meter penalty shot late in the period and Harvard went into the fourth period leading 11-10. Brown would take a 13-12 lead midway through the final period, before Tsotadze scored his fourth of the game to tie it with 3:09 remaining. The teams would trade a couple of stops each before Brown regained the lead with 27 seconds remaining. The Crimson would come up empty on its ensuing possession, allowing Brown to score on the empty-net and come away with the 15-13 victory.
Harvard Highlights
Game Notes
- Harvard finishes 26-6 overall on the season following the defeat, the 26 wins marks the third-highest total in program history (2016, 2019).
- The Crimson suffered back-to-back defeats for the second time this season (USCB, Princeton).
- Harvard takes the season series over Brown, 3-1. The Crimson previously posted victories of 10-7, 8-4, and 17-11 over the Bears.
